Love Hina: Children of Ice and Fire
by BetweenheavenandHell
Summary: Eighteen years after the events of Blademasters, a young man arrives at the steps of the Hinata Sou in search of a legendary Blade...The Sword of Two Souls...
1. Prologue: The Wind and Change

**A/N:** Takes place 18 years after the events of Blademasters, ages etc will be listed at the end of the next chapter.

**Love Hina: Children of Ice and Fire **

Prologue: The Wind and Change

The _Sword of Two Souls_…

Considered by the majority of the Clans to be a myth, much like the cursed blade known as the _Hina_.

Of course the discovery of the _Hina_ under the patient guard of the sub-family known as the Urashima's, by the heir of the time to the _Gods Cry_ school of swordsmanship, shattered all illusions and wishful thinking on behalf of such people, but the threat was rapidly contained and in time forgotten.

However, the _Sword of Two_ S_ouls_ remained a mystery to all but a few. The Sagura Clan refused to acknowledge or deny the existence of such a perplexing weapon, one that some dismissed as a fanciful tale upon hearing the rumoured conditions for its use.

Still, to those few who knew of it, and the power it possessed, techniques seemingly inherent to the blade not the wielder, it became an obsession.

There are many for whom a thirst for power drives them to many strange places, and into many strange circumstances.

This is one such story…

* * *

A cool spring wind blew high over the small town of Hinata, much like many others had before with each gentle passing of the seasons.

This particular wind was special. It had seen many things in its ancient life, if such things can be thought of as possessing such capacities, or indeed the desire to implement them on the meagre workings of man.

It had seen change after change sweep through this place. It had started with the arrival of a young man, high in hopes, but low in everything else, searching blindly for something he could no longer remember, drawing others, likeminded, to him in one place.

Hinata Sou.

The wind swept gracefully across its rooftops like an elder brother teasing its younger sibling with a fond tousling of their hair.

The structure was old, but it held just as many memories though not as expansive as those of the wind.

Carefully protecting those who dwelled within, even if they did have a tendency to repay that kindness by blowing up small parts of itself or launching each other through its roof or walls, the old inn had watched each of its tenants grow and mature. Some had inched closer and closer together, while some had drifted apart, in time leaving entirely either alone or with new people while others came to fill their place.

There was only one of what you might call the 'old' generation of tenants remaining, the youngest of the group.

A woman by the name of Ema Maeda. At thirty-three years with waist length brown hair still adorned with a number of girlish ribbons in the forelocks no one had the heart to tell her looked out of place nowadays, small round spectacles and warm brown eyes, she was now the matron of the building…or rather, had she not fluster more easily than some of the guests she would have been.

Ema's only respite from the shame came in the fact that people no longer mistook her for an effeminate boy…though she still didn't get many dates either.

How she had become the manager the Hinata Sou would never quite understand, but maybe it was better that way. After all, what is life and indeed, any story, without a little mystery?

However I digress. There will be more than enough time to meet the new residents and learn of their faces and personalities. The realities of their present, and the trials of their past.

For now only one such resident need be highlighted other than our nervous landlord.

In one of the outer corridors which ring the floors of the Hinata house, a girl stands, bent slightly so that she can rest her weight on the uncomplaining rail that guards the guests from accident.

The wind, tired of its high vantage point, descends in a tight spiral as she releases her long tresses from the single thick braid that keeps them out of her face, and is instantly delighted as it encounters this new plaything, tossing it carefully about her as it sweeps by, having just enough time to notice the light grey highschool blazer she wears before continuing on its unending path, as is the fate of the wind.

As it rushes out across the courtyard, still straining to catch one last glimpse of the beautiful face hidden by strands of hair as the girl eases one bang behind her ear, it almost collides with another, similarly dressed, walking up the last of the steps.A small case clutched timidly between her small hands.

Realising its error, the wind vectors low, sweeping between her legs and rustling her skirt in its passing, chuckling lightly to itself as she makes a sound that can only be likened to a squeak of embarrassment while clutching at the rebellious garment.

Spotting her, the first girl laughs good naturedly to herself and waves to her blushing friend, smiling apologetically when the other girl blushes brighter upon realising someone saw her embarrassment.

Whatever she did next, the wind would never know. Everything became a haze of pink as it rushed amongst the cherry blossoms before finally emerging at the foot of the stairs in a hail of petals and continuing on its way.

It skirted the townsfolk, repeating its trick on a few more of the young ladies who had decided it was to hot not to wear skirts, or who like the first girl, didn't have a choice in the matter.

Finally, after toying with the toupee of an elderly gentleman until bored, it wound its way more sedately to the edge of town, to the bridge that contented Hinata to its train service, and thus the rest of Japan.

As it contemplated returning skyward, it discovered a lone boy sitting calmly on the sturdy stone rail that warded the sides of the crossing.

Despite his simple red shirt, worn open to display the white t-shirt beneath and the slightly faded blue jeans, all of which practically screamed "Non-descript", there was something about him the wind couldn't place.

It could have been the unnaturally bright blond hair that subtly clashed with his otherwise elegant features, or the piercing blue eyes that were degrees cooler than surrounding air.

It could even have been the relaxed pose that was completely at odds with those icy orbs, but what most people would have found odd, would be the large black carry case left leaning against the barrier next to him.

Many people carry guitars and other such instruments in such things, but it rattled oddly as the wind prodded it, and this boy did not seem the musical type.

He didn't even blink as a gust shot over his head, mussing the short blond spikes and causing his eyes to lightly water.

No, his gaze never left his target as he held up the small photograph he had been given next to the image his eyes beheld.

_A perfect match_.

Even the wind, old and jaded as it was, wavered as the smallest smile the human mouth can produce crossed the young man's thin lips.

"I've found it", his voice wasn't the almost animal hiss the wind had been expecting, but it lacked some of the characteristic warmth of the average human speaker.

The smile vanished as if it had never been and he swung off his perch with the grace of a dancer, landing lightly and hefting the guitar case over one shoulder along with the small duffle bag that had been hidden behind it.

Unable to dawdle any longer, the wind returned to its path, watching the young man's back as it retreated into the distance.

When your memory is measured in centuries, few things stand out for long, and this case was no different. Soaring high above the clouds the young man was soon forgotten.

Would those others he encountered be able to say the same thing?

The blond held up his hand as he walked to block out the sun as he eyed his goal one final time.

_The Hinata Sou_

Only time would tell…

* * *

---Author Notes---

BOO-friggin-YA boys and girls, I'm back, man that was a boring week. Its nice to relax but if I don't get ideas out when they come I feel like I'm going stir-crazy lol. A short prologue I know, but I wanted to keep it fairly mysterious, yet interesting. Hope I succeeded.

Anyways, stay tuned for Chapter One: Girls. Girls! GIRLS!; the current generation of tenants meet the newest guest. He's a little closed off but its not like this is the first time the Hinata Sou has been co-ed. So what's the worst that could happen?

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	2. Chapter 1: Girls Girls! GIRLS!

Chapter One: Girls Girls! GIRLS!

The courtyard was deserted by the time he made his way through the town and up the extensive steps of the Hinata Sou.

Even unhindered as his path had been, people stepping out of his way for reasons they couldn't explain beyond a sense of unease that radiated from the young man, it had taken a surprising amount of time.

Especially when he had stopped to listen to the conversation three old men in burgundy robes had been having.

Their talk had been…strange, somehow about him and yet…not, as if they were discussing someone else entirely and he just happened to match their words.

Shaking off such thoughts, he regarded the towering structure before him.

While many had been overwhelmed, or at least impressed by the buildings natural beauty, or the place in which it was situated, he just snorted lightly in amusement, almost willing to believe that his information was wrong.

Who would hide it in a place like this?

_A smart person_, he answered his own question, starting forward.

Of course, what he didn't know, was that the ancient house was not one to let even a light affront such as the one he had displayed go amiss.

Have you ever wondered why certain events tend to repeat themselves? You are about to gleam an insight into the inner workings of the mind of the inanimate.

This boy would regret his indifference if he ever found out it was the reason for what happened next.

Three patient raps on the door were answered only by silence.

Frowning after a number of minutes passed without any indication that he would be answered, he knocked again.

Again the same result.

Sighing lightly, the blond rested a reluctant hand on the door handle and pulled, eyes narrowing suspiciously as the door slid aside without a whisper of complaint, let alone signs of having ever been locked.

He almost stopped then and there. No one would leave a house this vast unoccupied _and_ unlocked surely.

"Hello", he called, sticking his head just far enough inside to ensure his voice carried.

No one answered.

Taking a brief look around he stepped inside, closing the door behind him and making his way into the living area.

"Hello", he called again, a little louder this time.

The Hinata Sou rubbed its metaphysical hands together in glee. He was inside, now the fun could begin. It had already increased the sound density of its walls, meaning that all of the guests could not hear him no matter how loud he yeld.

But what to do with him?

Had it a mouth the house would have been grinning. Yes, the classics are always the best.

Ensuring that he still couldn't contact any of the residents on the upper floors, the house began to slowly reduce the air flow-through of its lower floor, increasing the effects of its insulation and raising the temperature of the living area several degrees.

It smirked as he began to shift uncomfortably, attempting to air his body.

He began to wander around the room, seeking the coolest spots, unaware he was being herded somewhere.

Traversing a number of corridors before he realised what he had done, he found himself outside of an open room, a piece of cloth draped down to chest level across the entrance.

His eyebrow rose of its own accord. He had immediately recognised the kanji for 'bathes'. He nodded curtly, his estimation of the building going up a notch. He hadn't been informed they had anything like this on sight. It would make his stay here more pleasant and convenient.

The heat seemed to pick that moment to remind him of its presence, and he looked once more at the sign before shrugging and ducking under the makeshift barrier.

Finding an empty basket, he deposited his clothes and possessions neatly before securing a towel around the lower half of his lean, but muscular frame.

The heat already seemed to be relenting as he made his way out onto the deck.

He stopped dead as he saw what awaited him.

A real life, genuine hot spring, right there. An open-air bath hot spring.

He smiled a thin smile and slipped in after testing the water, unaware that the second phase of the Hinata Sou's revenge was already waiting just out of sight.

He relaxed as the soothing water gently ebbed away the tension and kinks within his muscles, and he lay on his back in the waist deep pool, simply floating.

Excellent, first a refreshing bath, then he would find the manager so he could confirm his contracted place here.

His eyes began to feel heavy and he allowed them to close, falling into an also medative state as he drifted carelessly. This was a pleasant start to what he had been concerned would be a long an grueling task.

Things were going smoothly.

He frowned as his head bumped against something.

At first he thought he'd contacted the side of the pool, but rock was rarely this soft, and it certainly didn't gasp when you hit it.

Opening one eye irritably, he looked for the source of his interruption.

To say he was surprised was an understatement, although it didn't show on his face as such things rarely, if ever, did.

Still, that didn't prevent a number of internal responses of shock as he found himself looking up at apair of silkily, slender legs, barely covered by the towel that thankfully, depending on your point of view, kept the rest of the distinctly female body he had collided with, out of view.

His eyes tracked back the rest of the way to the hazel orbs that were peering down at him from amidst wavy curtains of dark brown hair streaked with lighter highlights that he couldn't be sure whether they were natural or artificial, that framed a pretty face, a face graced with a light blush.

Something strange seemed to pass between them for a second. A sense of… something, that neither one could identify; and then the moment was broken.

The girl's pretty features slowly changed from bewilderment to a look of growing anger.

He knew he had better extract himself from this predicament before-

"HENTAI!"

Something like that happened.

He sat up right as he fist began to descend toward his face, dodging in time and almost gawping as he watched the stone base of the hot spring beneath where he had been lying, crack a little as her fist impacted.

He didn't want to think what would have happened had that been his head.

"Hentai! Chikane!", she continued to yell, and he hesitated for a moment, considering the value of knocking her out before she drew unwanted attention.

His decision was made for him when she came at him again, her fist cocked to deliver another of those inhuman punches.

He hissed in vexation as that one came a little closer to hitting than he would have liked, and back-pedalled out of her range rapidly while trying to figure out whether to attempt to mollify her, or escape.

"Calm down", he said, his voice the even, commanding tone that usually worked on anyone he had encountered.

"Right after you take your medicine creep!", she bellowed back, giving him the second surprise that day.

No one had ever resisted an order from him. It was one of the reasons he disliked those around him more often than not and dinned to speak to any of them.

Lost in thought about this new revelation her third punch took him square on the jaw, hurtling him back over the deck where he proceeded to skid the rest of the way into the changing area.

Even as he impacted, the air momentarily leaving his lungs, and felt the arid sting of the upper layer of skin being forcibly removed in several areas by his interesting choice of travel back to his clothing and other possessions, he didn't cry out, just stood as soon as his body as able.

He could hear an angry sloshing coming from the water, which would indicate that even after that he was being pursued.

After what had just happened, he doubted the young lady was in the mood to talk rationally about whatever mistake had led to the situation they were currently in.

The blond haired youth grabbed the basket that had held his things and froze.

They were gone…his clothes, his case, everything, all of it gone.

_There must be an explanation for this_, he thought, checking several others quickly but finding nothing as the noise from the bathe ceased, and the sound of wet feet on wood assaulted his ears.

Had he ever been inclined to swear, he might have done so now.

Whoever had removed his clothing couldn't have gotten very far. All he had to do was track them down, retrieve his items, and find the manager to straighten out this whole mess.

As always, having a plan in mind, a clear goal, brought a strange calm over the young man, a sense of control.

He ducked under the cloth barrier and out into the corridor, his eyes roving and alert even as the girl chasing him caught sight of him, taking his retreat as silent confirmation of her assumption that he was some sort of peeping tom that had snuck into the building.

Cracking her knuckles in anticipation, she gave chase as he dart off towards the stairs and the front door.

She skidded to a stop as he vaulted over the railing to the stairwell instead of making a beeline for the door and freedom as she had expected, almost giving her a view she didn't want in the process.

Her anger rekindled as she realised this pervert must be going after the other residents.

In any other behaviour such persistence might have been admirable, but here it just stoked her rage even higher.

"Get back here you!", she screamed as she followed his example, grinding her teeth when he didn't even look back.

He turned off on the first floor without missing a beat, his arms pumping rhythmically in time with his legs to provide the maximum propulsion.

By all rights he should have out paced this girl halfway down the hall, but as fate would have it, she was a star member of her highschool tack team, a promising young star according to her coach.

Said star was currently right behind him, moving like a comet as she seemed to eat the distance between them, a predatory grin on her face.

_What kind of people live here?_, he thought, once more feeling a stirring of annoyance at this girl's persistence in punishing him for an honest mistake.

He decided to change tactics.

Reaching the outer corridor of the first floor, he leapt onto the railing, running along it for a few moments until locating a suitable handhold and swinging himself in a powerful arc up until his foot caught the rail of the second floor, allowing him to haul himself up, but hopefully leaving his brown haired opponent down on the first.

It worked; he could hear her cursing as her footsteps retreated into the distance, back toward the stairwell.

He would have to be careful, but with any luck he could avoid her at least until he had found his clothes and more pressingly, the carry case.

He allowed himself a moment to relax. If he continued to run around on an adrenaline high, he might miss something critical, or end up doing something rash that would make this whole situation worse.

_This is already a far from auspicious start_, he reflected, waiting for his racing heart to calm and putting at least one corner between himself and the stairway as he padded softly down the halls.

The first room he came across was empty, not much use in any fashion besides giving him a basic idea of the internal layout of the rooms here.

He closed the door with the faintest of whispers before moving on to the next, finding each one in turn devoid of life and completely useless to him.

He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing, he could hear voices approaching.

The voices were high in pitch, feminine. There was nothing to say that these women were as psychotic as the one he had already met, but he doubted even relatively normal women would react well to a man clad only in a small towel skulking around the less inhabited areas of their place of residence.

Making snap decisions was something he despised doing, but these circumstances left little room for anything else.

Opening the door to the nearest room and hoping it was empty like the rest, he ducked through and rapidly closed the door behind him.

As it turned out, this would be the first in a long list of mistakes that male inhabitants of the Hinata Sou were honour bound to partake in.

This room wasn't abandoned.

It wasn't immediately inhabited either, but the silken drapes hanging around the room, and the thick throw pillows pooled around the place, giving the room the feel of some exotic parlour made it clear that someone lived here.

As the voices drew closer the blond boy was forced to conclude that there was a high probability that owners of said voices were coming to this very room.

He scowled to himself even as beads of perspiration began to collect. This was why he didn't like being forced into snap decisions, something always went wrong.

If he'd thought a little more he would have realised he had time to duck into one of the rooms he had already checked.

As it was these thoughts of self recrimination ate up the time he should have been using to evaluate and escape, meaning that when the door began to slide open he turned instinctively to face it, to deep in his own mind to notice his mistake until he found himself locking gaze with two pairs of vibrant green eyes.

There was a profound silence as the two tanned blonds stared wordlessly at the strange, towel-clad intruder.

He eyed them back, ready to move if necessary, but projecting an aura of calm in an attempt to diffuse the situation before it started.

Both women he observed were similar enough that they could have been sisters, though there were slight differences. The taller of the pair, who appeared older than him by a few years, was dressed in a low cut top that exposed a considerable amount of her impressive assets as well as her navel, and a long skirt with a strange pattern on it, had slightly lighter hair than the presumably younger girl next to her, almost silver yet somehow not unnatural in appearance. Her emerald eyes blinked a few times before narrowing slightly, her posture changing to one that if he didn't know better, would indicate casual flirtation along with an unfeminine leer, one hand clasped thoughtfully under her chin.

The younger and shorter of the pair, appearing a few years younger than himself, just stared disinterestedly with a deadpan expression, as if this sort of thing occurred all the time.

The older of the pair changed her stance, stretching cat like and leaning against the doorframe.

"What did I tell you little cousin", she said, her amused eyes flicking to the shorter girl for a moment before raking him over casually, "I told you moving here with me was a good idea".

She took another look at him that almost brought a blush to his otherwise emotionless face.

"Just a towel…", she muttered, giggling to herself for a moment, "Now that's what I call service!".

The young man raised a questioning eyebrow, casting a glance at the younger of the pair as she watched her cousin's behaviour stoically, looking back and forth between himself and her cousin.

If the shorter blond had any interest in the events, she was hiding it well.

"Shameless", was all she uttered, shaking her head at the older girl rather than him.

"Spoil sport Chii-chan", the older blond groused mock pouting at her shorter companion, "Mizuki would agree with me".

Chii just gave her a stare that should have come from someone far older and more mature, to which the older girl just stuck her tongue out.

The object of her attention moments earlier was dumbstruck by the strange behaviour he had been subjected to in such a short space of time.

Perhaps now was a good time to take his leave.

"Hey Yui, have you seen…YOU!"

He cringed involuntarily, cursing his own misfortune. It was the girl from the bathes. She had apparently decided to dress before continuing her self-appointed search and destroy mission, and was now garbed in a plain white summer dress with a light blue blouse worn over it.

With her hair left unbound and spilling freely in wavy lines about her shoulders, the complete image was startlingly beautiful and fragile considering the temper and inhuman strength she had displayed.

The taller of the cousins, now identified as Yui, took note of the sudden tension radiating between her friend and the strange young man who had wondered into her room and grinned widely.

"Your secret lover by any chance Kanna-chan?", Yui asked, folding her arms and smiling even wider as the younger girl stared at her slack jawed like she'd had a stroke.

"W-wha- how could you even suggest something like that!", her volume didn't seem to phase the other woman, only encourage her.

"I don't know", she droned lazily as if it were nothing big, "Strange man appears who only you seem to know, dressed for a night of passion but apparently having snuck into the wrong room… I know how these things are, but I have to say, you really surprised me Kanna-chan, but he _is_ a cute one".

"Yui!"

Yui shrugged, "Hey, hey, no need to worry, I'm not going to go after him".

She resisted the urge to grin as Kanna ground out her name threateningly; she knew her young friend's weak spots all to well.

"Escape", the quiet monotone voice of the Hinata Sou's youngest resident cut through the building argument before it could come to a head, and both women could only blink as they looked around to find that the towel-wearing intruder had indeed vanished without a trace.

"Damn it!", Kanna stomped her foot angrily before turning on her friend, "You see what you did".

Yui just shook her head before falling in next to her irate friend without a word, easily matching the other girl's pace with her longer legs as she stalked down the hall.

"So what's the big deal anyway?", she asked when she was sure Kanna's initial anger had subsided.

"The big deal?", her friend asked, her voice dangerously quiet as her fist clenched at her side, but Yui was intrigued by the faint blush that blossomed on her cute face, "The 'Big deal', is that that pervert snuck into the bathes when I was in there and tried to molest me".

Yui knew better than to take anything Kanna said as gospel, the girl was scary smart, but she had a tendency to exaggerate things, especially where men were concerned.

"A pervert hey?", she said out loud, muttering to herself, "I thought me and Mizuki set up a rotor for those guys…".

"What?", Kanna snapped out of her funk but not able to remember what had caught her attention, her focus had been elsewhere.

"Nothing, nothing at all", Yui waved her hands in front of herself innocently for emphasis, affecting her most convincing smile to seal the deal.

Of course it didn't work, but it was unspoken tradition between the two friends that neither of them acknowledge that fact.

"Anyway, we have to catch him, can we at least agree on that?"

"Course", the blond nodded, offering a mock salute, "Sergeant Major Sexy reporting for pervert catching duty Ma'am!".

Kanna sighed and hung her head looking at the other girl out of the corner of her eye, "You're going to enjoy this, aren't you?".

Yui just grinned.

"Ok, lets get him before…where is Chii?".

"She'll be around somewhere, don't worry about it", Yui said giving her a thumbs up.

Kanna nodded tightly, they could worry about that later, right now there was a pervert to catch.

* * *

Said pervert was currently hunched over on the floor of the first floor, having leapt out of Yui's window to escape while they were distracted.

He rotated his shoulder. It had almost been pulled out of place when he had grabbed the window ledge to an empty room below on his way down and hauled himself in.

All of this chasing and running, and he hadn't even met the manager yet, yet alone begun his real task.

Forcing himself to his feet, he took a series of long, calming breaths.

He had to make a new plan. First he would find the landlord and explain this mess, and then he would search for his belongings. Doing it any other way was just too hazardous to his continued well-being.

Shrugging of the last of his exhaustion, he carefully eased his head around the corner, eyes alert for crazy women and luckily finding none.

If memory served, the manager's room he had been told, was on this floor, near the stairwell. He would have to move swiftly to avoid that girl, Kanna, before she ventured down here to continue her search.

He stole out of concealment, moving up the hall without a sound, but as quickly as he could risk.

_Almost there_, he thought as he neared the stairs, eyes peeled for any activity from the upper landing. Unfortunately he should have been paying more attention to the lower set of stairs.

Having heard strange noises from the floor above while she had been in the kitchen, another of the dorm's residents had reluctantly decided to come and investigate the disturbance.

The blond boy glanced down sharply as he heard a soft gasp, damning whatever higher powers were toying with him, and bracing himself whatever he might find.

He felt the anger leave him as he found his new assailant.

Wide violet eyes stared at him slightly fearfully, framed by shoulder length hair such a dark shade of blue it was almost black with a small side ponytail tied up by an over sized ribbon, and set into a pretty face that seemed a little paler than was normal.

Her tiny hands were clasped against her chest as she looked up at him, her petite figure meaning her stood a good head taller despite only being a little over average height for a man.

If asked to guess, he would have put her at close to his age, maybe a tad younger.

They both stood there like that for a moment, him suddenly very aware of his clothing or lack there of, and the embarrassment it was causing her.

He took an unconscious step forward and she let out a small shriek, trying to step back herself.

The floor, still slick from the water he and the dark haired girl, Kanna, had dripped over it during the first round of their chase refused to provide traction for the white sandals she wore to offset her yellow dress, and her foot shot forward forcing her body to tip back toward the stairs.

She opened her mouth and shut her eyes, waiting for the impact to jar her from consciousness if that was the worst it did.

It never came. A strong hand flashed out, grabbing her wrists and yanking her back upright.

Confused and off balance, she stumbled to a halt against something, tentively opening one eye.

She gasped, the boy that had scared her into tripping had caught her and she was now resting against his currently bare chest with his arm wrapped reflexively around her.

Her cheeks were on fire as she tired to look up without looking directly at him.

"Are…are you ok?", he asked when she began to stare at him unseeingly, her cheeks flushed. The strange cold detachedness in his voice brought her back to reality, which unfortunately did nothing for either her heart or her face.

He raised one stern looking eyebrow when she didn't reply or move away.

"I-I…that…um…", her response if you could grace it with that title seemed to confuse him and she tried to force her words unto coherent sentences as he began to lean closer, wondering what was wrong with her.

As his face began to loom closer, she did the only thing that a shy girl can do in such situations…she passed out.

The blond boy was not sure whether he should be concerned or amused by her response to his enquiries, but his musings were cut short when he heard an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Found you again, you menace, I…what are you doing to Ayu-chan!".

The young man made another snap decision. Faced with the possibility of a pummelling from this dark haired terror, something he couldn't defend himself from without dropping the other girl first, he took the only sane option… he ran.

Scooping Ayu up he was gone before Kanna could even blink, but it didn't take her long to charge after him with a cry that was equal parts rage and concern for her friend, now in the clutches of the 'fiend'.

He barrelled down the stairs, moving on pure instinct. At least, that's what he told himself afterwards. That had to be the reason he had chosen to flee into the courtyard, the only other option was stupidity.

As he ran Ayu began to awaken, but one look at her current position, held carefully in his arms bridal style and oblivion found her knocking on its door once more.

He was about half way to the stairs before the ground seemed to erupt around him, and he was dragged into the air by a strong net as he triggered some sort of disguised trap.

As he and Ayu swung in the gentle spring breeze he watched as the smaller of the cousins he had met, Chii, walked over to him and cocked her head to one side, her small blond pigtails blowing in the breeze.

Kanna and Yui finally caught up, slowing down when they found him suspended and helpless.

"Alright, nice work Chii-chan", Yui praised the younger girl.

"Success", the smaller girl droned, flashing them both the victory sign.

"Ok", Kanna said, offering the girl a happy smile before turning something more demonic on him, "As soon as we get Ayu out I'll-"

"What's all the racket about?".

Everyone's eyes turned to a middle-aged woman leaning unenergetically against the doorframe to the front door, yawning widely as she adjusted her glasses and tried to use her fingers to straighten her long brown hair.

The blond boy recognised her only seconds before she did him.

"Oh Ryu-kun!", she didn't seem to notice the distasteful way he reacted to the nickname, "You're here already, I…why are you in a net?".

The other girls whistled innocently.

* * *

Having been introduced as Ryuuya Kisame, the young man had then had the pleasure of formal introductions to the girls who had moments ago been chasing him with dubious intentions.

First up were Chii and Yui Su, cousins born into the current ruling family of MolMol; Chii was the daughter of the princess Kaolla Su and her consort, while Yui was the daughter of her sister Amala and the reigning king.

Both took after their mothers in looks while only Yui seemed to follow her maternal parent in terms of personality, while Chii took after her father, a surprisingly quiet and serious man to end up with a wildflower like Kaolla Su.

Butting into the introductions had been a young woman about his age with sandy brown hair, slit like eyes, a sultry grin and expensive clothing named Mizuki Sekata. She also worked part time to maintain the teahouse linked to the building and had currently left her fellow waitress and resident Natsuki Otohime; the sister of someone he'd never met named Mutsumi an acquaintance of Ema's, to gawp at the new guy. Roughly Yui's age if not slightly olderNatsuki would be the eldest of the group.

Next up had been the girl he'd 'rescued', Ayu. That was all they managed to coax out of the shy girl. She seemed to be having trouble looking at him for some reason, let alone talking to him, so he dismissed her and let his gaze drift to the last person in the room.

Kanna had refused outright to tell him her name, stating that no matter what Ema might say, he would be gone too soon for it to matter.

His lack of reaction had left her fuming in her seat.

"Right, now that we all know each other a little better, I have to ask Ryu-kun…", Ema's expression took on a grasping air, as if she were trying to find the best way to say what she said next, "Why are you wearing nothing but a towel?".

"I'll tell you why!", Kanna exploded before he could react, "Because he's a no good pervert who likes to sneak into the bathes while girls are in there and try and feel them up!".

"I do no such thing", he said, striving to remain calm.

"Then why did I find you pawing at my legs in the hot springs!", she yelled, her face going red as Yui and Mizuki turned to each other and began laughing and whistling.

"I was unaware there was anyone in there except myself", he said, very slowly as if talking to a child, "I just wanted to relax".

"Hey, we all have our hobbies", Mizuki quipped, pretending not to have spoken when Kanna glared over her shoulder at her, trading smiles with Yui as soon as she turned back to begin her tirade.

"You know", Yui spoke casually, "With all the fuss she's making over a mistake, I think she liked it".

"What!", Ryuuya irritably checked his ears. The human voice shouldn't be able to produce such output.

"I think you're right Yui-chan", Mizuki spoke excitedly as the older girl nodded sagely.

"I can't believe…", Kanna trailed off before rounding on him, her ire back in full force.

"You! This is your fault, you no good peeping tom!", she stamped a foot on the table in front of him, glaring down at him to try and force him into submission.

"For the final time", he intoned icily, returning her glare with one of his own, "It was a mistake".

They continued to glare at each other, neither willing to break eye contact and show weakness.

"They're staring deeply into each others eyes Yui-chan", Mizuki pointed out as if the other girl had missed it, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Ah yes, young love, I'm so jealous", Yui said, wiping at her eye as if brushing away a tear.

This time Kanna could only stare, unable to believe what Yui had just said before it dawned on her that to look at Yui, she had broken the unvoiced contest between her and Ryuuya.

Turning back she found him avoiding her gaze so she couldn't initiate another glaring match.

Facing Yui all she could do was mouth _"I hate you, you know that"_, to which her friend responded by blowing her a kiss.

"…Ok, but none of that actually answered my question", Ema pointed out sheepishly.

"I have nothing else", Ryuuya answered first this time, "When I tried to leave I found all of my things gone".

"Really? That is strange…then again I'm surprised no one met you, I mean, I know I told Yui that…", she glanced over at the young woman who seemed to have developed an intense fascination with her nails, "Yui-chan, what happened to Ryu-kun's things?"

"Not a clue", Yui responded sweetly…too sweetly.

Mizuki looked at her friend, admiration shining in her eyes, now wide open, "Yui-chan, you didn't…"

Yui smiled minutely which started the sandy haired girl squealing like a teenybopper before her favourite boy band.

"Yui-chan you're the coolest!", once more Mizuki was in awe of her older friend's many talents.

Accepting the praise, Yui forgot she was meant to be playing it innocent, suddenly noticing the eyes of everyone in the room upon her.

"Busted", Chii's single phrase pretty much summed it up nicely as Yui scratched the back of her head nervously and chuckled weakly.

"I should have known", Ema muttered as if wondering why she had trusted the blond girl in the first place, "Ok, after Yui returns your clothes Ryu-kun, we'll finish up our chat and get you moved in".

Having perched on the arm of the sofa near Ayu, Kanna practically fell when she heard that, "What? Moved in, you mean he…".

"Yup", Yui supplied with a tiny smirk, "Meet the newest resident of the Hinata Sou".

She might have been in trouble for not telling everyone earlier, but as far as Yui was concerned, Kanna's slack jawed expression made it all worthwhile.

* * *

---Author Notes---

Ok, first things first, ages and so on:

**Ryuuya Kisame:** 17

**Kanna (withheld):** 17

**Ayu (unspoken):** 16

**Chii Su:** 13

**Yui Su:** 19

**Mizuki Sekata:** 16

**Natsuki Otohime:** 22

**Ema Maeda: **33

Next up, Chapter Two: The New Guy; Ryuuya is introduced to Hinata house law as he begins his search.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	3. Chapter 2: The New Guy

Chapter Two: The New Guy

"Well", Ema said sitting down heavily across the table from Ryu in the manager's room, "You certainly made an interesting first impression Ryu-kun".

He wrinkled his nose at the use of her familiar nickname, but she either didn't see, or just ignored him.

Some people might have spoken up at this point if they truly disliked something, but that was not Ryuuya's way. He was a patient and meticulous man for someone his age, something that had always served him well thus far and with any luck, would continue to do so in his self appointed quest.

He allowed his gaze to stray from the older woman, who was at once relieved not to be under the scrutiny of his oddly intense gaze, and nervous because of the profound silence that had descended after she'd cracked that small joke about his 'debut'.

She didn't notice when she began to play with the ribbons she still wove into her hair, more a matter of habit than intention these days, something she still did when unsure of how to proceed in a conversation.

Looking around the room with a practiced eye, Ryu began to catalogue a number of potential places his objective could be secreted away in.

There were obvious places, the closest, a suspicious looking gap behind a tall book shelf one of the mats in the far corner of the room also appeared to have been lifted up more recently than the others.

These were all place that he would have to investigate at some point or other. He would also have to make a point of discretely investigating as many of the other locations in the house as possible, as well as interrogating as many of the guests as possible.

"…So, Ryu-kun", Ema spoke up reluctantly removing a small box from under the table and rummaging through it, "Erm, hold on, I know it's in here somewhere, I…"

Ryu ignored her increasingly panicked sounds as she continued to look for whatever she had been about to present, resting back on his hands to project an air of casual disinterest as he continued his observations.

Looking up there was something that stood out painfully against the otherwise seemingly flawless construction of the ceiling. A large board covered a gap that had been made at some time or other between this floor and the one above.

Ryu raised an eyebrow. A secret room perhaps? Surely it couldn't be hidden in such an obvious place, but then again, he wouldn't have seen it had he not been sitting here in this room and happened to glance up, something humans rarely did.

"Found it", the manager of the Hinata Sou hugged the small document like a long lost child, sighing with relief before laying it out in front of him and smoothing out the crinkles.

He briefly scanned the paper. It was a standard tenant contract that informed him of all of his rights and responsibilities as a resident, as well as the economic impact of his stay.

He noticed that here and there a few words had been crossed out and replaced with the male equivalent.

"All you have to do is sign and stamp it and you're ready to go", she provided helpfully, perhaps thinking he was confused rather than reading. Too few people ever bothered to read the things they signed.

He couldn't find any obvious traps or other legal concerns imbedded within the rather straightforward nature of the contract, so taking the offered pen and removing his personal stamp from the small case he carried it in, he signed and stamped the document, sealing his place here at the Hinata house.

Ema made a show of mimicking his seriousness by scrutinising the hand writing and the seal before smiling brightly and folding it up again, replacing amongst the others in the small shoe box she had chosen to store such things in.

Ryu shook his head slightly as he watched her place the box behind the bookshelf rather than securing it in some form of safe. The likelihood of this woman knowing anything about the location of his objective seemed to be falling by the minute.

Still, it could all be a clever ruse…

He winced as she tripped over seemingly nothing on her way back to him, face-planting onto the table.

If it was all an act, it was a very good one.

"Owwwwww", she moaned rubbing her nose and blushing slightly at her own clumsiness.

"Are you ok?", he asked though his voice seemed void of any actual concern.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, don't worry, this happens a lot so I'm used to it"

Ryu blinked slowly. This sort of thing was a common occurrence? Then again, considering he'd seen a young woman crack stone, had his clothes stolen by another and been caught in some sort of high-tech net device by a girl barely into her teens, he didn't know why the idea of a grown woman who still acted somewhat like a child should be anything of note.

"I see", he offered tactfully as she stood again, rising with her.

"Ok, how about we take you on a little tour of the facilities and find you a room, get you all settled hmm?", she was already out the door before he could actually answer either way, leaving him no choice but to sling his duffle bag and carry case, recently returned by the Hinata Sou's 'mistress of pranks', over one shoulder and follow.

They started with the basics, the ground floor was to be covered first, working their way up as they went and ending the tour when he chose a room, upon which he would be allowed time to move in before getting summoned to his first meal at Hinata House.

"Living area I'm sure you're basically familiar with", Ema said, seeming to enjoy her role as guide, even having produced a small hat and armband from somewhere when he wasn't looking, and smiling brightly, "We boast two comfy sofas, a chair and a widescreen TV, although no many people actually seem to use this room for some reason unless we're having a party of something…"

Ryuuya nodded to give the impression he was actually listening to what she said while he scouted the room for any signs of concealed rooms or hollow wall cavities.

There was something about the potted plant in one corner of the room that drew his attention but he quickly dismissed such a ridiculous notion.

"…In fact most of use just us Chii-chan's television when we want to watch something, it had much better reception", Ema had apparently not noticed his lack of attention and continued to ramble as she started to move through the living area and toward what turned out to be the dining and kitchen area.

Ryu found nothing out of place in either room, which made him bookmark it for closer inspection later.

If he couldn't find anything at a glance, it was more likely that there was something hidden in one of the two rooms than in the others he had seen which boasted highly visible 'secrets'.

He noted the communal feel of the dining area, a fairly small room, centred around a large western style table complete with chairs.

The markings on both the floor and the chairs indicated that this room was frequented a lot by the guests, which had him frowning.

On one hand it meant that this room had raised itself in as a candidate for further searching, as it was a long and valued tactic to hide things in 'plain sight'. However it also implied that meals here were eaten in a group, and even if this rule were not enforced, he would have to avoid the temptation to take his food and eat alone lest he draw more attention than he had already.

He didn't want to have to be constantly dodging the enquiries of curious females while attempting to covertly conduct his investigation.

A thought occurred to him and he broke through Ema's latest ramblings about the types of food they ate most often to voice his question.

"Maeda-san, am I the only male resident?", her brow knitted together a little at his use of formal address, but she answered readily enough.

"Yes, just you", she giggled a little, "You know a lot of boys would be quite envious of your position Ryu-kun".

His face clearly showed he didn't know what she was inferring which threatened to turn her stifled giggles into full on laughter.

_Such a serious young man_, she thought smiling as he disregarded her strange behaviour and began to wonder around the room, poking his head into the kitchen and even opening cupboards and draws seemingly at random.

"But it is sort of a tradition after all", she said, tapping her chin as she thought back on that statement, "We've almost always had only one man living here at any one time, although there was a brief period when there was two, but at the time Keitaro was away most of the time or so I'm told. I moved here after the other guy left to set up things back home for his wife….what was his name…".

Ryu had seemed vaguely interested for a second when she had mentioned Keitaro, but now he was ignoring her again.

"Oh yeah", she nodded to herself, "Koichi, Koichi Sagura".

Ema had to resist the urge to shrink back under Ryu's suddenly intense stare. His former glance when she had mentioned the former manager was nothing like this.

"So…he _was_ here…", she thought that was what he muttered to himself, his gaze becoming far away for a moment.

"And you say he and Urashima were here together?", he asked seeming to come back to himself, once more focusing that only intense blue gaze upon her.

"Um, yes…only time two male residents have occupied the building at once in a long time…", he continued to look at her for a while before gradually looking away.

"I see…and all this happened before you arrived?"

"Yes"

He nodded, "Must have been…interesting, I'm sure Urashima told you many tales, perhaps you can relate them to me…let me know what I've signed myself up for".

"Sure", Ema agreed weakly, almost wilting when he stopped paying her any mind and resumed his wanderings.

It would only occur to her much later that she had never told him Keitaro's last name, but even when she thought about it she would just shrug it off.

It would also occur to her that Ryu had attempted something that coming from another human being would have been considered humour, but that also would be ignored, this time under the assumption she had fallen down one to many times that day.

Next she lead him down a number of empty corridors, pointing out as she went which rooms were currently used and in what capacity, and which rooms were unused, pausing each time so he could briefly glance inside each of them before moving on.

"This is of course-"

"The bathes, yes I'm familiar with this place", he deadpanned, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"I guess we'll have to set up a rotor again", she said, "I think I have the old one upstairs, it's either that or dig the old tub out of storage".

"Either is fine", he would have preferred being allowed to soak in the soothing waters of the hot spring, but whatever drew less attention he was happy with.

"Well we'll try the rotor system to start with. The tub is in the basement at the moment and I'd rather not go down there", she shivered a little for emphasis.

"Why?", he asked curious. If the no one usually went down there it would be another place to he would have to search, assuming he didn't end up doing so already.

"There are spooky things down there", she utter ominously, missing the way he rolled his eyes, "Besides... I might have, sort of…lost the key".

Ryu sweat-dropped. There was the real reason he suspected. That made things a little more difficult.

A small part of him was relieved regardless; he was no fan of small dark spaces.

"Anything else?", he enquired.

"No, I think that's it, anyway, on with the tour!", her pep seemed to be back again as she lead him back to the stairs and up to the second floor.

Starting from her room and moving right, she informed him of the positions of all of the housemates on that floor.

Almost immediately right of her room was Ayu's, the small shy girl had almost fainted when Ema had knocked on her door, her guest in tow, asking if the younger girl wanted to help show him around.

Ema had been left speechless when, after staring at Ryu for a few minutes, the blue haired girl had babbled something quickly about an assignment that was due and closed the door so fast Ema had had to jump back, which of course result in her falling flat on her backside.

"…Peculiar", Ryu commented as he helped Ema back to her feet, "What was that all about?".

The look the brown haired woman had given him was hard to interpret, and she offered no explanation before returning to her task.

A few doors down was Natsuki's room, the eldest of the residents still not home at that moment, and thus he was unable to meet her.

A little further on and on the opposite side of the corridor, was Mizuki's room. Again the sandy haired girl was absent but Ema informed her that she was probably upstairs on the third floor in Chii and Yui's room.

Ryu had expressed surprise to find that the two cousins shared a room when there were so many others free, but Ema had just shrugged and said it wasn't unusual for relatives in Molmol to live closely in large groups, so being the only two of their people here, and also being raised blood related, it made sense they would naturally gravitate toward one another.

Also, considering Mizuki was like Yui's lesser-tanned twin, it was understandable that the younger girl would spend almost as much time with Yui as the older blonde's cousin did.

"I'm sure Yui and Mizuki will stop by whatever room you pick at some point to give their own personal greeting", there was a degree of amusement in that statement Ryuuya didn't care for. It must have shown on his face because she immediately waved her hands in front of her.

"Hey, don't worry, it's nothing to be concerned about…I hope", she added under her breath, obviously thinking he couldn't hear her.

_So much for an unobtrusive_, stay he mused.

"Oh I almost forgot", she added, "Kanna is on the second floor as well".

She gulped as his expression darkened a little, "I take it that means you're not going to be taking a place on the second then Ryu-kun?".

"Why wouldn't I?"

Ema couldn't quite fight the smile that wanted to breakout across her face. It seemed despite everything, there was a teenage boy living in that icy shell somewhere, the unspoken tension between him and Kanna proving it.

"Still, I'd suggest giving Kanna a little breathing room for now Ryu-kun, she tends to be a bit…excitable around boys and whether you meant to or not you've gotten her quite worked up", she spoke softly to make sure he understood she wasn't reproaching him.

His blank expression could have meant anything, but she hoped he'd taken her advise on some level.

"I think I know which room I want", he announced as if that had been their topic all along, walking ahead on his longer legs and leaving her to trail behind.

He round the corner and threw aside the door to the first room he spotted. As far from the stairwell and the other guests on that floor as possible it was the perfect spot for him to inhabit unnoticed.

"This one Ryu-kun?", Ema questioned, surveying the dusty living space as Ryuuya deposited his belongings against one wall and carefully opened the shutters to allow the warming spring breeze into the room, "Isn't this sending a bit of an anti-social message to the girls?".

"On the contrary", he said without turning to face her, "This is as close to allowing them their privacy as I can physically achieve. Here I am out of the way and unobtrusive. As such should any of them wish to interact with me it must be a conscious decision on behalf of both parties, not something that is enforced by societal norms as a by-product of an accidental meeting".

Ema nodded along as if she agreed with what he was saying but couldn't help but feel his explanation wasn't the whole truth behind his choice of quarters.

She watched as he began to remove the mats from the floor, holding each one out of the window in turn and giving it a series of sharp taps to shake loose the majority of the dust and returning it to its place before repeating the process with the next.

When she offered to help he simple requested a wet rag to damp dust the furniture and a futon to sequester away in his closet until it was required.

She complied with his strangely efficient requests and it wasn't long before the room was clean and well on its way to being aired and habitable.

"Looks like you have everything in hand Ryu-kun", she said once they were finished, unable to believe they were done after only a few hours. It had taken them the better part of a week, between them, to get Mizuki moved in completely.

He didn't answer, just looked at her in a way that seemed to say_ "Unless there is something else…"_.

"Anyway, I guess I'll leave you to unpack unless you want any help?"

"I can manage", he said simply, waiting for her to leave.

With an strained farewell, she left him to his own devices, only relieved to finally get away from the young man who had become the latest of her wards.

_At least he doesn't seem likely to cause any trouble_, she thought, reflecting on the arrival of a certain energetic blond with a sparkle in her vibrant green eyes.

Yes, it might be interesting to have a boy living here again, it would certainly shake the girls out of some of their bad habits. No more wondering around in their night clothes…well, actually that probably wouldn't stop Yui. It might even encourage her depending upon his reaction.

Ema made a mental note to warn her about that sort of behaviour, not that it would affect anything but it would make her feel better to know she tried.

She sighed heavily. Yes, things were about to get interesting.

* * *

Ryuuya stood back and appraised his handiwork.

The room was arranged in a precise, almost severe, military-esk fashion,. Everything meticulously organised and arranged to give the impression of perfect neatness and rigidity within the occupant.

His empty duffle bag was the only thing that remained in hand, all of his clothes having been filed away in the appropriate spaces for later, and soon even that had been packed away inside his closet next to the guitar carry case he had brought with him.

He had already checked that it was unopened and undamaged, so he could put it out of mind for a moment.

Letting out a long slow breath, he sat gracefully next to the small table each of the rooms seemed to have been provided with, and allowed himself a moment to relax.

After a rocky start he was here, he had moved in, and he had some time alone to plan his next course of action.

His first step would be to map out the layout of the building, starting from the top and working his way down. He already had several pieces of paper and a pencil on hand before him, so he could in theory start whenever he wished.

Yes, first he would map everything out, marking places of interest for later study as he went, then he would backtrack to such places and check them more thoroughly, making time of course to interview the guests and covertly if possible scout their rooms also.

Just because none of them had been here at the time the sword had vanished, didn't mean one of their rooms hadn't been used to hide it, or indeed that they had no knowledge of it.

The sword…that was where it all began, and that's where it would all end as soon as he got his hands on it.

Koichi Sagura's legacy…

Ryu gripped the tables edge white knuckled for a moment.

Ryu could almost feel the ancient weapon's presence permeating the walls, calling to him…somewhere.

He had to find it.

Knock knock 

His thoughts were interrupted by the gentle sound of flesh against paper, as his solitude was broken.

"Yes?", he called, opening eyes he didn't remember closing and trying to discern the identity of the person knocking from their shadow.

"Ano…um, dinner is waiting downstairs Kisame-san…", he had to strain to hear the voice, and wondered why she didn't just open the door.

Standing he walked over, sliding the door aside to acknowledge that he had heard her, but found the corridor deserted.

_That was…unusual…_, he thought, stepping out and closing the door to his room behind him.

He began walking; he assumed that by 'downstairs' his mystery guest had been referring to the dining area, and a minute or so later his assumption was confirmed as he stepped into a minor maelstrom of activity.

There seemed to be lightly gossiping females wherever the eye rested, all of them talking and moving as they passed things from the kitchen to the table, now adorned with a plain tablecloth and various pieces of cutlery.

He coughed softly and Yui looked up from where she was miming something with two bread rolls that had Kanna glaring dangers at her while Mizuki clapped and giggled.

Ema seemed to be struggling to direct everything while another girl, older in appearance than any save the manager, with a figure that seemed to defy reality and light brown hair that seemed to curl naturally, a slightly vacant expression on her pretty face, sat at her place occasionally laughing behind her hand at Yui and Kanna's antics.

This must have been the other girl they had mentioned earlier, Natsuki.

She spotted him and smiled openly, head slightly to one side enquiringly. It was certainly the friendliest greeting he had received so far, so he offered a small bow and walked over, still unnoticed by the other women.

"Natsuki I presume", he said, taking the empty seat next to her and eying the rabble as he had mentally addressed them, "I take it this is not uncommon?".

"Ara, did I tell you my name already?", she asked, frowning slightly as if worried she had made a mistake.

"No", he said, shaking his head softly, "Maeda-san told me about you when I arrived".

"Oh! You must be Ryu-kun", he struggled not to frown, that ridiculous nickname was spreading, "The girls have told me all about you".

"Have they indeed", he responded dryly, his eyes darting over to Kanna for a second. He could already imagine just what the short fused young woman might have said about him.

He slowly scanned the crowd; there was something amiss that he couldn't quite seem to place.

"Ayu-chan seems quite happy to have a new friend", Natsuki commented, filling in the blank in his mind.

That was who was missing from this picture; the shy young girl he had met during the chase wasn't present, but there was someone else missing as well.

"Hungry", to his credit he didn't jump as high as others had in the same situation as Chii made her presence in the seat next to him known.

The young Molmolian was slumped slightly in her chair as if she hadn't eaten for days, and he had to wonder how someone so apparently devoid of energy had managed to slide into the chair next to him without him noticing.

Chii's single utterance seemed to call her cousin's attention even though he wouldn't have credited it with being loud enough for her to hear.

"Don't worry, Ayu-chan will be done soon, I…Ryu? When did you get here?", he subtly rolled his eyes which set Natsuki giggling.

Yui looked back and forth between him and the older woman before smiling and resting the backs of her hands on her hips, "Stealthy and a charmer of older women huh? You better keep a close eye on him Kanna-chan".

Kanna, who up until now had been glaring at him gave her friend a swift kick to the shin under the table.

"Touchy much?", Yui teased, taking a seat across from Ryuuya, Natsuki and Chii, placing Mizuki between herself and Kanna as a protective barrier.

"Yui", Ema said in a pleading voice, she wanted them all to at least try to make a good impression on the new resident.

"Fine, fine, I'll be good", she promised, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Lies", Kanna nodded along with Chii's statement while the accused feigned a look of betrayal that would have had any Shakespearian actor feeling abashed.

Further dialogue was mercifully interrupted when the swing door to the kitchen area opened and Ayu stepped through holding two plates of a carefully arranged curry dish.

The presence of food brought an almost scary look to the younger of the Su's eyes, and Ryu was left with the feeling that standing between this girl and sustenance would be a one way ticket to his doom.

These thoughts were added to when she practically tore into the meal placed before her with an abandon he wouldn't have thought she possessed.

No else seemed to pay it any mind though so he chose to gloss over the horror movie-esk feeding frenzy and concentrate on his own plate.

The curry stared back innocently enough, and Ayu seemed to be waiting for him to take a bite before sitting down herself, so he took up his spoon and scooped up a small portion.

He was peripherally aware that everyone seemed to be looking at him with the exception of Kanna, who was making a point of doing the exact opposite.

Raising it up to his lips he experienced a brief bout of paranoia regarding the contents of the food, but when trying to combine the thought of Ayu with devious intent, he found them strangely incompatible.

Everyone save Kanna leaned a little closer as he place the spoon in his mouth.

He chewed thoughtfully for a few moments and swallowed.

Aware they were awaiting some sort of response he chose to address the cook rather than the 'audience'.

"Very pleasant", he said, turning back before he could see the change in colour Ayu's face went through, and the way she began playing with the front of her dress.

Yui sat back thoughtfully, observing both the blushing blue haired girl, and Kanna at the same time.

There was no visible reaction from the dark haired girl but something drew Yui's attention that she couldn't quite place.

Ayu all but collapsed into her seat and the rest of the meal went relatively well considering two of the guests were trying to out do each other's attempts to ignore the other.

Ryu seemed to be chatting quietly to Natsuki who would attract Kanna's attention for a second every time she laughed, though if you looked closely you could tell that Ryu wasn't sure what it was he had said she found entertaining.

Yui shrugged to herself and returned to her own meal, whatever happened next could happen without her prodding it for now.

* * *

Ryu excused himself as soon as he had finished, announcing that he planned to retire for the evening to accommodate to his new surroundings.

Everyone bid him goodnight, even Ayu after a little encouragement, though there were icebergs warmer than Kanna's voice.

He didn't waste any time once he was upstairs.

Quickly removing the paper and pencil from where he had stashed them before coming down to dinner, he padded back out into the hallway, threading his silent way up the stairs and onto the second floor.

Reasoning that it would be best to start in the uninhabited areas, seen as how he only had a small amount of time at best before the others returned to their rooms, ruling out the possibility of an effect search, he began at the outer corridor, marking out carefully the number of rooms and their positions along one edge of the paper before entering each one in turn.

Even sticking to only a brief survey, lifting loose mats, checking dusty and disused closets and draws and looking for anything else that stood out and marking it accordingly, it took longer than he would have liked to map out the unused areas.

He began to move down the corridor that held Yui's room, eyes and ears alert for any signs that someone might be inside or approaching as he checked the other rooms around it, finding only a loose floorboard he didn't have the luxury of checking at the time.

Eyes darting, he spotted something dangling from the ceiling of the corridor above his head, a small cord with a plastic ball on the end.

Backtracking it to its source revealed a hatch like indentation in the ceiling, possibly the entrance to the attic of the old building he reasoned.

Ryu debated for a moment. He could mark it off and investigate later, or he could do it now while everyone thought him resting in his room.

If Yui or Chii returned he would be out of sight and could probably slip back to his room when he was sure they were asleep, and the possibility of anyone going into the attic while he was up there was fairly low.

Folding the map he had made carefully, he placed it in the back pocket of his jeans along with the pencil, eyes never leaving the cord as he stepped around into the right position to open the hatch without striking himself in the process.

"Waiting for someone?", a voice all but purred in his ear.

Chii Su was not the only member of the royal family renowned for her wraith like qualities, someone had to teach her after all, and stealth is essential to any good prankster.

He glanced back, mind whirring for a credible explanation for his position as he felt two tanned arms wrap loosely around his neck from behind, several long blond strands of hair tickling his neck in the process.

"I was just taking my time to explore, it never hurts to learn about your environment", that explanation was plausible, if a tad lame, and he had delivered it without stuttering, something many other young men in this position had found impossible.

"If you were curious you should have just asked me", Yui whispered, "Just leave it all to me, Onee-chan will take good care of you, I promise".

For some reason he was having a hard time replying.

"Now what would this be?", he barely registered her question before she had snagged the map out of his back pocket and was examining it curiously.

He whirled quickly, snagging it back and stepping back out of easy range before dropping the map back into his pocket.

"Nothing of concern", he offered as smoothly as possible.

"Really?", she said with a playful smile, "Looked awfully like a map to me".

He grimaced, wondering what she would do and cursing himself for being caught already.

"Don't panic, I'm not going to tell the other girls you're an organised pervert, where's the fun in that?".

Ryu didn't like the idea of leaving her with that impression, but if it got him out of this situation without further conversation…

"Besides, you marked my room first, and that shows good taste", she winked coltishly, leaving him with a surreal feeling to the whole encounter.

"Not that you aren't cute when you sweat and all", she broke into his thought train, "but you might want to get going before Kanna finds you up here, you're already in her bad books…that is, unless you want to stick around for a while?".

He was not sure if she was serious or not, but even as a small part of him began screaming death threats, he declined and edged past her, something which seemed to amuse her greatly.

"Oh and you owe me, just so you know", she called out just before he was out of ear shot, offering another wink as she disappeared into her room before he could reply.

He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but there wasn't much he could do about it right then and there, and if Yui was accurate, the others would be returning soon.

He picked up the pace a little, accelerating to a light jog. As he neared the stairs he felt something coming loose in his back pocket, the map having not been a securely replaced as he had first thought was in danger of falling out.

Glancing back to secure it, he didn't realise what was about to happen until he heard a voice cry out.

"Watch where you're-"

Was all Kanna managed to say before they collided, his head wiping around just in time to collide with hers before they were both unceremoniously dumped on the ground by the impact.

Kanna groaned as they both sat upright, "Stupid jerk!".

She winced as her head throbbed where they had collided, feeling a small bump rising already.

"You see what you did!", she hissed, touching it tentively while trying to glare at him at the same time.

Ryu shook his head to clear it, eventually focusing on the person he had run into.

"You should have moved", he said, standing without missing a beat and offering his hand to assist her.

"You were the one running around without paying attention to where he was going!", she spat back, ignoring his hand and standing on her own.

"…Correct…I apologise".

"Damn right you- huh?", she replayed what he had just said, her mounting anger momentarily forgotten.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention", he repeated, wondering if he had really hit her that hard, "I'm sorry if I hurt you".

When she didn't respond his brow furrowed, surely something like that wasn't enough to concuss a person.

He gently moved her hand away from her head, examining the swelling for a moment.

"Ice"

"What?", she asked quietly, the first time he could recall in their short acquaintance hearing her voice at normal volume, it suited her.

"We need to put some ice on that to reduce the swelling, I assume there is some on the kitchen?", she nodded wordlessly and allowed him to lead her downstairs.

* * *

"OW!", she whined as he pressed the ice filled towel to her head, "Watch what you're doing jerk!".

"There has to be a certain amount of pressure", he responded evenly, ignoring her mutter curses and insults and focusing on his task.

"This is all you're fault", she groused from where she was perched on the counter, forcing him to adjust his own position as she turned to face slightly away from him.

"Yes I think we established that", he used his free hand to guide her head back into a position from which he could easily reach, not noticing the faint dusting of pink that arose when he cupped her cheek to do so.

As long as she cooperated this wouldn't take any longer than it had to.

A thought struck him, as long as she was quiet, now might be a good time to clear the air between them, thus removing one of the potential obstacles in his path.

"I'm sorry, about earlier"

"Hmmm?", she murmured as if coming out of a trance, frowning slightly and slapping his hand away and taking the compress out of his grasp, holding it in place herself.

"The…incident", he said, hoping to avoid actually mentioning the day's earlier events out loud.

She crossed her arms, her pose becoming as confrontational as it could, sitting on the kitchen counter with a bag of ice held against her forehead that is.

"Hentai", she looked away from him again, pouting slightly.

It was almost…

_Cute?_, a helpful voice inside his head provided which he poignantly ignored.

"I think we may have to agree to disagree on that", he conceded, realising if she ever chose to accept fact, it would not be today.

"Whatever", she shrugged, still not quite looking at him.

He nodded curtly; he'd done as much as he could, now was the time to take his leave.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything", he turned slowly. Yui was standing in the doorway, hands clasped behind her back, and a disarming smile on her face.

"Don't be ridiculous", facing Yui, he couldn't see Kanna's momentary blush as she spoke.

"I just came to get Chii-chan a snack, no need to get all defensive", she held up her hands in a placating gesture as she opened the fridge, selecting a few things she knew her cousin liked and piling them onto a handy plate.

"Oh, and remember", she said just as she was about to leave, as if it had just occurred to her, "You still owe me for earlier".

She winked suggestively and waved a hand over her shoulder as she left.

Ryu felt an odd, prickling sensation between his shoulder blades.

"What…The…Hell?", that was a tone of voice he was becoming all to familiar with.

* * *

Kanna sat at her desk moodily staring out of the window at the beautiful spring morning she was missing while trapped in school.

Truth be told, she wasn't really all that upset about missing out on the sunny day, although it was disappointing.

She had a number of her favourite lessons tabled for that day, and her best friend had finally recovered from her bout of flu and returned to school.

No, what she was still mad about was a certain pervert she was now forced to share lodging with.

"Yellow haired jerk", she muttered under her breath, "Trying to trick me into thinking he's not so bad".

Well at least she had some sanctuary to retreat to, even if it involved classes, it was rapidly becoming a blissful release to her mind.

She almost missed her name in roll call; something Ryuuya took the blame for along with her current mood.

As soon as both the teacher and the class were no longer paying attention to her, she went back to brooding, only coming back to reality when her teacher, a balding man in his late thirties with a cheap suit that had seen better days, declared he had an announcement to make.

"Class, we have something very special happening today", she sat up and tried to focus on his words, this could be important.

"We have new student joining our ranks", she felt something fall in the bottom of her stomach but couldn't place why, "You can come in now".

Resting her chin on one hand, she felt her grip slip as the new guy walked in. Staring incredulously, she barely heard the excited whispers of the students around her as a boy with spiky blond hair and cold blue eyes walked in with measured steps, stopping at the front of the class. Immaculate in his white school shirt and black trousers, a guitar case over one shoulder and a school bag resting casually in one hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce your new classmate; Ryuuya Kisame".

* * *

---Authors Notes---

Oh the fun is just beginning let me assure you. What will the younger girls make of Ryuuya joining their ranks? What will Kanna do? Will Ryu make it through highschool alive, and why is he there in the first place?

The answers to all this and more in Chapter Three: Highschool Heart-throb


	4. Chapter 3: Highschool Heartthrob

Chapter Three: Highschool Heart-throb

Yui glanced back over her shoulder as the front door slammed open, denting the wooden stopper in the process to admit a seething mass of dark hair above a highschool uniform.

She watched as Kanna hopped around for a few seconds as if she didn't have the time to sit down and take her shoes off like a normal person.

Curiosity sufficiently aroused, the blond rolled over so she could cross her arms on the back of the sofa, turning of the TV by tapping the remote with one toe as she did so.

She waited a few seconds to see if the grumbling girl noticed that she was there before announcing herself with a loud cough.

Caught off guard by the sudden noise, Kanna pitched dangerously to one side, swaying comically for a few moments before falling back on her tush and groaning something about the unfair nature of the universe, and the many derogatory traits of blond idiots.

Yui might have been offended if she hadn't known her young friend long enough to realise she wasn't referring to her, but rather another blond in their mutual acquaintance.

"Good day?", she drawled, smiling brightly in counterpoint to Kanna's fierce expression, "Meet anyone new?".

She already had a feeling she knew what had Kanna's hackles up and was looking forward to an entertaining couple of hours as the younger woman related the day's events.

"You knew about this didn't you?", Kanna's voice was dangerous, almost feral which only heightened Yui's sense of glee.

It was true that she had known about Ryu's transfer arrangements, she had run the necessary documents over to the school herself after all, but she wasn't about to tell Kanna that.

There was also the little incident that had occurred last night after Kanna had left Ryu nursing an equally sore arm and eardrum after her little performance in the kitchen.

Feeling slightly sorry for the young man, she had conscripted Mizuki's aid in fitting his school uniform for him. His expression when he had discovered them waiting for him in his room had been priceless, but oddly his gaze had continued to shift to his closet every few seconds rather than watching the two grinning women in front of him.

As she recalled the rest of that night and the poor boy's subsequent near heart-attack when Yui produced a tape measure and told him in her most authoritarian voice to 'hold still', she made a mental note to check out the contents of his closet next time she was in the area.

She didn't say anything when Kanna sat down sulkily across from her. She could tell the other woman wanted to relay what had happened that day, all she had to do was wait long enough and she'd crack.

Yui lounged in her seat; idly checking her immaculate nails and absently twirling a long strand of hair around one finger in a girlish fashion.

"Well?"

"Well what?", Yui responded without looking up.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?", she smirked behind her hair as she heard the sound of enamel grinding on enamel.

"About what I've been through in the past three days", Kanna said very slowly as if not trusting herself to let her tongue run free.

"Wellllll…", Yui paused as if considering it, "If you really want to tell me…sure, go right ahead".

She sat up, orientating herself toward her friend and casually crossing her legs, "Fire away".

Kanna sighed at the song and dance routine Yui seemed to live on, and launched into her version of the day's events.

* * *

Kanna was dumbstruck. She pinched herself under her desk just to check she was really awake and hadn't dosed off in class.

It hurt. She was still awake, so that meant the spiky hair jerk uncomfortably occupying the centre of attention at the front of the room was also really there.

She dug furrows in the surface of her desk with her nails as the class continued to whisper amongst themselves.

What the hell was this good for nothing pervert doing here?

Her stomach lurched as the teacher announced he was transferring into their class.

Kanna's jaw tightened, this couldn't be happening to her.

Unable to contain her outrage as the balding teacher introduced the new student, Kanna was on her feet before she recalled standing, her finger jabbed toward him accusingly.

"YOU!", the volume of her shout cut off all other noise in the room, and brought Ryu's head snapping around disbelievingly, her own expression mirrored by his own for a moment before his features returned to their usual icy implacability.

Kanna suddenly became very aware of all the attention she had unintentionally gathered, as the eyes of every person in the room, including the teacher's zeroed in on her.

"I assume you have you wish to talk to the new arrival about young lady, seeing as how there seems to be so history between you, but if you could control yourself until the end of this period I'd be most grateful", she shrunk back down into her seat under the old man's steady gaze, vowing revenge upon Ryuuya for embarrassing her like that as she tried to ignore the questioning looks from the students around her.

* * *

Yui burst out laughing, getting louder when she saw Kanna's indignant expression.

"That…That's p-priceless", she managed to choke out around a fresh wave of giggles, "You made a total ass of yourself!"

"I don't have to tell you this", Kanna pointed out, satisfied when that silenced Yui, allowing her to continue.

* * *

While Kanna willed herself to melt into her chair without any great success. Ryu began recounting a small list of hobbies and personal details in a dry and practiced voice.

She glared at him as best she could from her low elevation, trying to figure out if perhaps he was stalking her or something. She had heard that the worst perverts tended to single out a girl that caught their eye and hound her mercilessly.

"_Psst_", she didn't notice that someone was trying to get her attention, to busy running through frightening scenarios in which a creepily grinning Ryu lurked in the shadows as she made her way home on a dark and windy night.

"_Psst_, Kanna-chan", the red headed girl next to her poked her ribs discretely. Well as discretely as one can poke a girl's ticklish spot.

Kanna arched in her seat, letting out an involuntary yelp that had the teacher once more censoring her with a stare.

That was another mark for Ryu on the list when all this was over.

She focused her attention on the girl next to her, a petite red head with bright, mischievous eyes and a childish grin; a single yellow ribbon wrapped around one bang of her short hair.

Mae Aoshima had been her best friend for longer than she could really remember, the daughter of someone her father had met through work, the energetic girl was a good friend but had a well-deserved reputation as a gossip.

Incidentally; another of Yui's 'pupils'.

She had that look in her eye; the look that said she was about to ask a question she knew Kanna wouldn't like but couldn't help herself.

"What is it?", Kanna asked, already fairly sure she new what was going to be asked.

"How do you know Ryu-kun?", yep, just the question she hadn't wanted to answer. Unfortunately it seemed Mae wasn't the only girl who was intrigued, a number of others were leaning visibly closer even as they attempted to divide their attention between her and Ryu.

She also wondered briefly at the nickname the blond had acquired already, taking some solace in the fact that he hated that name with a passion.

"I don't, not really", she said, trying to ignore Mae's widening grin. She'd already trapped herself by shouting at him, so she couldn't deny knowing him outright, just try to distance herself.

"Ah, could he be a secret lover?", Mae held up her little finger and shook it almost accusingly at Kanna.

The dark haired girl only barely refrained from shouting this time, hissing "No!", at a stage whisper.

"Kanna-chan seems awfully guilty about something though", one of the girls behind her pointed out, Mae nodding helpfully.

"You're right, she's blushing", another pointed out, spotting the change in colour her cheeks had undergone.

"Impure thoughts Kanna-san", another _tutt_ed, winking at her friend, while Kanna tried to find the words to set them straight.

"Oh, I'm so jealous", the first girl moaned, "Kanna-chan gets all the cute boys".

"I am not-"

"Do you think they met during the winter break?", the second girl asked.

"Um, hello, still here", Kanna waved a hand but they all seemed oblivious to her presence. Mae just shrugged philosophically and went back to watching the conversation she had triggered.

"Yeah, I bet they went for long walks in the snow together", Kanna was vaguely disturbed by the dreamy look in the other girls eyes as they sighed heavily.

"I wonder if they spent Christmas eve together", another added, prompting a round of adolescent squealing even as the vein on Kanna's forehead began to bulge threateningly.

"We did no such thing!", she shouted, not noticing that Mae was having to hold her in her seat, "I didn't even know him then!"

Kanna slapped a hand over her mouth, her mind finally catching up with what she was saying as the little gathering around her grinned as one.

"I knew it", Mae beamed as Kanna slumped forward defeated, allowing her head to hit the desk.

"We have a lot to talk about later", she added quietly, noticing that Ryu was finished with his introduction and deciding to grill Kanna later.

"Settle down everyone", the balding man said, "Mr. Kisame I see there's a free seat over there".

Kanna glanced up, wondering which poor soul would end up next to the pervert and doing a double take as she realised that the teacher was pointing to the now empty seat next to her.

She looked around to find the girl who had bee sitting there moments earlier was now sitting further back, waving to her encouragingly.

"I trust you can manage not to disrupt the class any further?", he asked, brushing some imaginary lint of his moth eaten jacket.

"Yes sensei", she said, struggling to smile pleasantly.

Ryu was so dead for this.

* * *

Kanna glanced suspiciously over at Yui, who just smiled back innocently, waiting patiently for her to continue.

The door slid aside and Ayu shuffled in, her expression slightly distant, removing her shoes and changing into her house slippers as if on autopilot.

She didn't even look at them as she walked by and up the stairs.

"What was that about?", Yui asked, raising a slender eyebrow.

"I don't know", Kanna said, her expression concerned, "She's been like that all day…I bet that pervert tried to do something to her".

Yui nodded absently before motioning Kanna to continue.

* * *

Kanna missed most of her first period due to time spend developing the side-glare (Kanna TM), allowing her to express her disgust at being seated next to him, while avoiding actually having to look directly at him.

Of course he never noticed, and Mae misinterpreted her efforts as being distracted by his mere proximity, something she made sure to tell all the other girls as soon as the class ended.

Attempts to tell them that she was not, and never would, be interested in a despicable pervert like Ryu, all fell on deaf ears.

Busy trying to contain the fallout of her overeager friend, she didn't notice that the smiling girl had manoeuvred her so that she was walking alongside Ryu to their next class, and he just took one glance at the proceedings, snorted and carried on doing his best to ignore the whole thing.

This cool indifference of course had the opposite effect to the one he would have wanted, sending his popularity rating even higher amongst the girls and even earning him some respect from the male population who admired his control when confronted with the fawning female crowd that was trailing him and Kanna.

His supposed relationship with the dark haired girl, a rumour that had spread across most of the campus much to the aforementioned girl's horror by the end of second period, also earned him some respect, though also a number of enemies amongst the other boys who had shown an interest in her in the past.

To make things worse he seemed to excel at everything.

When called upon to answer a complicated algebraic equation, he had stood calmly, walked to the head of the class, and after examining the board for a few minutes, declared the answer to be eight.

Just like that.

No scrunched face, no thinking pose, no sweating, nothing. Just a simple statement and half a second's worth of chalk work and he had returned to his seat while the math instructor adjusted his glasses and flicked quickly through the teachers manual under his desk, triple checking what he found before offering a delayed congratulations and moving on to the next question.

She had glanced down at the calculations she had quickly done when he had been asked to tackle the problem, the number eight emblazoned in accusing red ink on her paper.

"Ryu-sama is so smart!", she almost gagged when she heard one girl mutter that behind her somewhere, a number of others agreeing and sighing as they spent most of the lesson trying to catch his eye rather than listening to their teacher.

Naturally the jerk hadn't spared them a second glance, but one was all it seemed to take to satisfy them.

Kanna fumed. So what if he happened to be smart? That just made him even more dangerous, and she was sure these girls would agree if they knew the real Ryu. Why were they acting like that, just because they thought he was cute.

Kanna had given him another sidelong death glare. Ok so maybe he wasn't exactly ugly if you liked blond and brooding, but that shouldn't mean that they couldn't all see the true form of the beast that lurked under that icy shell.

She briefly thought on what was scheduled next as the bell announced the end of this session of hell and she gathered her books up.

Next would be physical education.

That's where he'd mess up. What were the odds that he would be both smart and athletic? Even if by some fluke he was, the presence of all the girls in their gym uniforms would bring the real him to the surface, then everyone would listen to her as she cast him out for the animal he was.

Lost in a fantasy where a humbled crowd bowed low before her benevolent wisdom, while a defeated Ryu was carted away in a cage labelled 'Beast'. Kanna failed to notice that she had once again been steered next to the blue eyed blond, the true meaning of her smile lost on both him and the stragglers that followed.

Her good mood was broken when she was snapped out of her daydream by more chatter that featured Ryu's new, more respectful title, and realised where she was standing.

Having a reputation of her own to maintain, she had had to strangle the urge to kick him, hard, in a sensitive part of the male anatomy for letting them end up like this, and walk as sedately as possible to the girls changing rooms.

The following time was something she had done her best to blank from her memory.

The sport had been basketball; both classes were taking part, but using a single basket at opposite ends of the court.

Ryu had seemed to all but trip over his own feet at first, and Kanna almost crowed as she heard the semi-disappointed sighs of the girls around her.

This was more like it.

Calling a time out, the coach had taken Ryu aside for a moment, speaking to him in hushed tones, before handing him the ball and resuming the game.

Whatever had been said in that time, brought about a remarkable change in behaviour. Ryu darted amongst the other player like they were simply statues standing in his way.

As Kanna's jaw hit the ground, the girls formed an impromptu cheering section for the young blond, and with each cry of "Ganbatte Ryu-sama!", that went out, Kanna felt the urge to throttle someone grow a little stronger.

She had almost cried when someone came up to her and told her how lucky she was to have someone like Ryu as a boyfriend.

* * *

"What's the big deal?", Yui asked, genuinely confused. From what she had been told Ryu hadn't actually done anything at this point except perhaps fail to set people straight on his relationship with Kanna, but that sort of rumour would fade in time when people saw how they interacted with each other.

"Oh it gets better", Kanna bit out sarcastically.

* * *

By lunch time of the third day, Kanna was at her wits end.

"You and me, outside, now", Kanna demanded, barely stopping herself from putting a foot on Ryu's bench to emphasis her point.

She had had enough. One to many people had congratulated her, or complimented her. It was time to put an end to this, and that meant taking out the source.

The small gathering at Ryu's table, mostly girls it seemed, made her eyebrow twitch dangerously. That pervert certainly hadn't wasted any time.

They all looked on expectantly between the pair as Kanna reigned in the urge to knock him upside his head when he continued to eat his lunch without looking at her.

She leaned closer, hissing in his ear, while trying to keep her face pleasant for the onlookers.

"Don't ignore me jerk", she warned.

He set down his food, turning so that their noses were inches apart and staring directly into her eyes.

The excited chatter of those gathered seem to fade away as her stomach fluttered and her cheeks began to warm.

"Happy now?", he asked, his voice sounding mildly irritated, "I was trying to eat".

Whatever spell had held her tongue was broken at that moment and her glare returned full force.

"Follow me right now and I won't tell anyone what a peeping tom you really are", his eyes narrowed in a way that made her want to gulp but she refused to look away, even as she heard one girl ask someone if they thought her and Ryu were about to kiss, setting her ears burning.

"I thought we discussed that already…", he sighed, standing, "Lead the way".

Kanna nodded curtly, turning on her heel and walking away, only stopping to check he was following.

She made her way outside to where Mae and her small circle of close friends sat on a series of benches around a large oak that was planted in the schools courtyard, all of them with bento's resting on their laps.

"Right, I brought him, so now we can clear all this up", she announced, folding her arms beneath her chest after prodding Ryu forward.

"Tell them we're not dating", she almost punched him when he made a face as if the very idea were repugnant. She just wanted him to stop the rumours not insult her.

"No, we're not", he informed the other girls, his voice as even and serious as always.

A few of Kanna's friends looked disappointed, especially Mae for some reason, while others looked thoughtful, even hopeful.

"That's too bad", Mae said sadly, like a child who has lost their favourite toy, "I thought you and Kanna-chan made a really cute couple".

"Reality and fantasy rarely mix", he spoke before Kanna could respond, taking the offered seat next to Mae, leaving Kanna no choice but to sit next to him.

"So where are you from Ryu-kun?", she asked once he was settled, resting her head on one hand curiously.

With so many people, Kanna included, waiting for the answer, he didn't really have the option of ignoring her.

"I grew up near Sendai", he said smoothly.

"A country boy?", Mae asked teasingly, giggling when he snorted.

"You don't act very much like a farmer's son Ryu-kun, what does your family do?"

"Nothing of consequence, my Father attends to a number of…managerial concerns", Kanna wasn't very satisfied with such vague answers and made it known by kicking his shin sharply, but Mae didn't seem putout by his standoffish nature.

"Why did your family decide to move here?", she asked.

"They didn't", he responded after a moment, "I'm here alone".

Kanna rolled her eyes as the other girls gave him varying sounds of sympathy, she'd been living apart from her family for a while now, most of the residents at the Hinata Sou had, it was no big deal.

"If your parents aren't with you", one of the others asked, "where are you living Ryu-sama? We could all come visit you if you want so you won't be lonely".

Time seemed to slow as Ryu made to respond.

_Oh no! If they find out he's living in the same building as me I'll never hear the end of it!_

Ryu was surprised to find a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth and an arm around his neck.

"Excuse us for a moment", Kanna said with a painfully forced smile as she dragged the protesting Ryu out of sight, leaving the other girls to wonder just what was going on.

"What are you doing?", he asked when she finally let go of him, rubbing at his neck to restore the circulation.

"What do you think moron!", she hissed, looking around to make sure no one was watching them, "You can't tell people we're living together, they'll get…weird ideas about us".

His blank stare was infuriating.

"Kanna-chan!", she spun around, seeing Mae and the others jogging toward her, "There you are, I was worried…Where is Ryu-kun?".

Kanna's head jerked around like she had touched a live wire. Where the blond menace had been standing only moments before there was only air.

* * *

"So you're mad because some people got the wrong idea?", Yui asked, folding her legs beneath her.

"Yes, and it's all that big jerk's fault. Now Mae is convinced I'm trying to hide where he lives so I can visit him in secret, all because the stupid head didn't know to keep his mouth shut!", that interpretation sounded a little off to Yui but she didn't say anything.

"Didn't you mention something about Ayu-chan acting strange as well?".

"Hmmm? That? Yeah, I found her when I went looking for him…"

* * *

Kanna was tired but she couldn't give up. How was she supposed to explain why she had all but abducted Ryu if he wasn't around to help her explain.

Her search had taken her behind the school, onto the fields that were soon to be used once more as the weather grew warmer.

No ready sign of Ryu and everyone she had asked along the way hadn't seen him either. She knew that asking people about him like that would backfire on her, but in the long run, finding him was more important.

She was running out of time, lunch break was almost over.

As she was about to give up she spotted something, a familiar bob of dark blue hair that clearly belonged to Ayu. Sitting on the bank next to the bushes that led down to the running tracks, the shy girl was staring at the empty bento set next to her, a small smile on her pale face.

"Hey! Ayu-chan!", Kanna called, summoning the strength to jog over. Ayu glanced up surprised, but that was understandable. Even though they were friends, being a year below her, Ayu rarely interacted with Kanna in school.

"H-hai sempai", she stuttered as Kanna drew near, looking slightly guilty for a moment.

Kanna didn't have the time to wonder about that though, she asked the question that was at the front of her mind, "Have you seen Ryu?"

"R-Ryuuya-sempai? No…I haven't seen him", the dark haired girl wondered why Ayu seemed to be stuttering more than normal, and blushing as she tried to hide her face with her bangs.

Kanna frowned, had that pervert done something to poor little Ayu? She always seemed a little awkward around him, and never spoke to him outside of meal times to Kanna's knowledge.

Further questioning was cut off when the bell rang to announce the end of the student's free time.

"Damn, I'll speak to you later Ayu-chan", Kanna promised, never noticing that the younger girl had gone back to staring at the box and hadn't answered her.

When she had gotten back to class, she had found Ryu waiting as if nothing had happened, but when she tried to talk to him at the end of school, he had vanished again, leaving her to walk home alone.

* * *

Ryu collapsed onto his futon. He had had a strenuous three days thus far, and had only mapped a small portion of the first floor, though he had ended up mapping out the ground floor in its entirety, which was something to be proud of he supposed.

Having snuck in through his window to avoid a lecture from Kanna, all he really wanted to do now was sleep.

He stiffened as he felt slender hands massaging his tense shoulders, "Tough day?".

He turned his head slowly, still somewhat shocked to find Yui rubbing away the knots in his tense muscles with practiced ease, even though he doubted there was anyone else in the building that would have done so, and certainly not without asking first.

At least Mizuki wasn't here this time. Their tag team act was not something a person readily forgot.

"Thinking about me?", she asked, not stopping her ministrations.

"Mizuki actually", he said dryly, hoping to throw her off a little. Her quiet laugh told him all he'd done was amuse her.

"I doubt that", she leaned over so she could whisper in his ear, offering him a view others would have killed for in the process, "no man thinks of another woman when he's with me".

Ryu was finding swallowing hard to be a rapidly developing habit around the tanned older woman.

Realising that he hadn't yet made any move to stop her he rolled out of her grasp, sitting up so that he could face her.

Yui pouted playfully, sticking her tongue out at him, "Fine, be like that, can't blame a girl for wanting to help her cute new friend".

"How did you get in?", he asked, "I locked the door".

"Your window was open", she said as if that made perfect sense.

Choosing to glaze over that statement for now, he asked the next question on his mind, "What do you want Yui?".

She_ tsk_ed as if disappointed in him, "Come on now, a beautiful woman sneaks into your room in secret and you have to ask what she wants?"

That swallowing habit was back as she chose that moment to stretch.

When he didn't respond she sighed and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Fine, I wanted to know what happened between you and Kanna today, I heard her version, now I want to hear yours".

Ryu shrugged.

What was there to tell?

* * *

His integration into the school had gone smoothly enough even if he wasn't happy with it. He had been forced to concede when making his plans that a highschool student not attending highschool would draw attention, as well as forcing him to invent a reason for coming to Hinata as a cover story.

His had been polite but aloof, hoping it would convince the other students to leave him to his own devices. However relatively little time in his youth spent around people his own age had betrayed him in the end as the students, most annoyingly the females, seemed to adore this icy front.

Before he was entirely sure what had happened, he had a small fan club and had been paired off in the eyes of the student body with Kanna of all people.

He couldn't see how anyone could make such a ridiculous assumption. The two of them barely spoke, and when they did it was usually her yelling while he ignored her.

Still, she did seem to appear everywhere he went. Ryu had been struck by the concept that perhaps this unstable girl was stalking him, a very troubling prospect.

He had been content to ignore his peer's behaviour, but apparently Kanna had not. She had confronted him in the cafeteria in front of the small crowd of girls that had gathered at his table despite a desire to dine alone, constantly chattering and giggling at him.

Kanna's angry voice had almost been a relief, even if he had felt honour bound to ignore her until she moderated her approach, forcing her to meet him eye to eye.

When she had threatened to begin spreading even more rumours about him, which would have drawn more unwanted attention, he had reluctantly agreed to follow her to what turned out to be a miniature interrogation of sorts.

Her red haired friend's questions had crossed swiftly into areas he didn't wish to discuss, but was aware that avoiding them would only make the women more curious.

He had answered with vague truths that seemed to placate them, but when confronted with the matter of his accommodations, he had found himself being dragged away by Kanna and accused of gross stupidity.

He had just starred, unable to believe she honestly thought him dense enough to suggest that he would tell these girls that they lived together, as if he didn't know what informing everyone he lived alone with a number of girls would do to his reputation and hers.

Her continued attacks on his competence were beginning to wear thin, so as soon as she had been distracted he had taken the opportunity to slip away to find some time to cool off.

His random walk had taken him behind the school, and as he had stood, brooding upon the bank that led down to the track, he had heard a startled gasp from behind him.

He spun, glare in place, ready to send whoever the foolish girl was that had found him scurrying, rounding on very familiar face.

Ayu had let out a small shriek, stepping back to fast as she saw his face and almost falling until he caught her.

Ryu had smirked in private amusement at this. Saving this girl from her own clumsiness was becoming a full time job.

"Are you ok?", he asked, setting he back on her feet and turning back to the view of the track as she nodded while keeping her head bowed for some reason.

"What…what are you doing out here alone sempai?", she asked quietly when the silence between them began to stretch.

"Just thinking", he answered, lowering himself to a crouch. For a moment he considered sending her on her way but just sighed. This girl had done nothing to annoy him, no that job seemed reserved for a certain dark haired girl with a fiery temper.

"You?", he asked, missing the way she jumped when he suddenly spoke.

"I-I, always come out here…its peaceful…and I'm not bothering anyone out here", she began toying with her skirt, looking out over the track rather than at him, "I sometimes come here to watch Kanna-sempai when she runs as well".

The mention of Kanna soured his mellowing mood and he just snorted in response.

"I'm sorry", she said quietly, mistaking the object of his displeasure, "I shouldn't have disturbed you…I'll go now".

"It's fine", he said without looking round, "This is your spot not mine, sit".

She blushed for a moment before wordlessly taking his offer.

Once she was seated, Ayu removed a small black box from her bag and opened it, the delicious aroma from within wafting out delicately, teasing his nose and kicking his saliva glands into overload.

She notice him eying the food and timidly held the box out towards him, "Are…are you hungry sempai? You can have some of this if you want".

He was about to decline when his stomach reminded him that Kanna had interrupted him before he'd taken more than a few bites of his lunch.

She giggled prettily, covering her mouth with her free hand as he levelled an even gaze at her and accepted one of the rice cakes from box.

"How is it?", she asked shyly when he took a bite, turning away for a moment when he responded that it was just as good as everything else she made.

"I'm sure some man will find you a most satisfactory wife one day", he commented and she almost fainted.

They ate in silence together before Ayu summoned the courage to speak again.

"I-if you want, sempai, I could make you one everyday", she waved her hands when he looked at her curiously, "You don't have to or anything! It's just that it's so much nicer to eat outside when the weather is nice…or at least…I think so anyway…".

Ryu shrugged, "I don't mind".

Her smile threatened to break her face, "Hai sempai, I'll do my best for you".

Before he could question why she was blushing he heard a familiar grating voice nearby.

Kanna had almost found him.

Quickly thanking Ayu for the meal, he ducked out of sight before she could respond.

The next time he had seen Kanna had been in class, and he had managed to get out first, hiding until she left without him.

As he had left he had run into Ayu again, almost literally, and after apologising for his lack of attention, had ended up walking back to the train station with the shy girl, separating only when they returned to Hinata House in order to avoid Kanna.

Getting back in without Kanna seeing him had been an interesting challenge.

* * *

Yui nodded along thoughtfully, murmuring to herself occasionally.

He hoped that had satisfied her strange curiosity.

There was a loud knock at the door, as if the person were attempting to hammer down the door to gain entrance rather than asking for entry.

He didn't need to see her shadow to guess who it was.

Kanna.

He made to tell Yui to leave and was left blinking as he found her spot vacant, his window shutter now swinging gently in the evening breeze.

He marvelled at the resourcefulness of the tanned woman as he unlatched his door, sliding it open and backpedalling as Kanna thrust a finger in his face.

"Where were you?", she demanded, sounding comically for a moment like a nagging wife rather than someone who had made it clear she didn't want to be associated with him.

"Excuse you?", he returned folding his arms and glaring back at her.

"I waited around for forever after school and you didn't show up!", this time it wasn't the volume, but the tone of her voice that threw him.

She had sounded almost…hurt.

"I wasn't aware that two days of coincidence were enough to set a precedence", he said, unable to explain the twisting feeling that ran through his gut when her face sank for a moment.

"We live in the same place, and what kind of jerk makes a girl walk home alone when it's not even out of his way to escort her, it's plain manners!", the idea of Kanna lecturing anyone on manners was amusing in itself, but he somehow kept a straight face.

"Fine, I'll be sure to walk you to and from school everyday from now on", her cheeks were dusted pink when he said that and she coughed roughly into one hand.

"Right, yeah, you, um…you better", she muttered, shifting from foot to foot, her hands playing with each other behind her back.

Once again he was unable to understand her strange behaviour.

"Hey you know something", she said looking past him into the room, "This is the first time I've seen your room, and you've been here for almost four days now… What…The…Hell".

He followed her gaze back his futon.

Lying atop the ruffled covers, were a pair of small pink panties. The letters 'Y.S.' clearly emblazoned on the small amount of fabric.

_Now when in the world did she…_

* * *

In the room above Chii watched her cousin howl with laughter as a great crashing noise echoed up from the floor below, shaking her small head as she recognised the voice doing the scream that had both preceded and followed the crash.

"Troublesome", she intoned, turning back to the bewildering array of lines she was sketching out on a large sheet of blue paper.

"Aww, you're no fun sometimes Chii-chan, besides, they'll be fine, all relationships need to be shaken up once in a while".

Chii didn't reply this time, just tapped something into the calculator next to her and continued her work.

As far as Yui was concerned, they should have brought in a guy to live here ages ago.

* * *

---Author Notes---

Yay, another chapter down, but there'll be a delay in the next lot cause I need to do a little research first. Coming next; Chapter Four: A Class Act; Kanna and Mizuki's classes are taking a trip together, a three day site seeing and cultural tour around Tokyo. How will Kanna and Ryu handle all that time together? And why does one of the chaperones look so familiar….is that….Natsuki!

All this and more in the next instalment.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	5. Chapter 4: A Class Act

Chapter Four: A Class Act

Ryu scowled as he found himself rubbing at his tender cheek again.

A few seats down the train from him, the cause of his current discomfort was happily chatting away with her friend and fellow tenant Mizuki Sekata, over all giving the impression that she was nothing more than a happy, gossiping schoolgirl.

She certainly didn't look like a violent girl with a short temper and a mean left hook.

Mae pointed to him, drawing Kanna's attention to the fact he was staring in her direction. Her response was something he made a note to remind her of next time she lectured Yui about maturity.

The dark haired girl had pulled down one lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at him before turning away with a, "_Hmmppphhh!_", loud enough for him to hear over both the distance and the noise of the train, her nose in the air.

_Irritating woman_, he thought, fighting the glare that threatened to screw shut his otherwise emotionless face. Why she managed to constantly get on his nerves he had no idea.

Returning his focus to the small patch of ceiling above him, Ryu thought back on everything that had led to this point.

* * *

In the week that had preceded his current predicament, things had been rather…interesting, around the Hinata Sou.

After Yui had confessed to planting her underwear in his room to see Kanna's reaction, the dark haired girl had grudgingly apologised to him, as if she were granting him a great boon by doing so rather than repenting for her assumptions and violent behaviour.

In retrospect pointing that out hadn't been the best idea the young blond had ever had, but sometimes it's the principle of the matter that counts.

The ensuing fight had been broken up when even Yui got tired of Kanna's shouting and Ryu's icy barbs.

Another round of; "Sorry" on both accounts had settled things for a time, and Kanna had suggested that she would treat him to lunch the following day as a peace offering.

Ryu had declined politely, informing her that he already had plans with Ayu.

Once more Kanna shamed some modern sound systems with her audio output.

He had only been able to sit amazed as she labelled him with several of the more prominent forms of sexual deviancy known to man, accusing him of plotting to seduce the innocent young Ayu.

Too shocked to reply to her accusations, he had been saved by the girl in question when she had falteringly told Kanna that she had offered to make lunch for him, but hadn't expected him to eat with her as he had suggested.

Kanna had spent several minutes calming the younger girl who, after hearing the various rumours about her and Ryu, had thought Kanna was upset about her spending time with her so called 'boyfriend'.

The other girl had eventually gotten her to believe that the rumours were just that, and Ayu had perked up quite remarkably, blushing to herself as she smiled and went to prepare dinner.

Ryu was glad he didn't hear what Yui and Mizuki whispered to Kanna, leaving the room before she actually exploded this time.

Things might have gone well from there if not for what happened next.

* * *

Ryu looked over the map he had been building. The second and ground floors were more or less marked, and the first had been outlined.

He knew he should finish the mapping before he did anything else, but something about the attic drew his attention for reasons he couldn't explain. Maybe it was just by virtue of having been prevented from entering it previously, but whatever the reason it ate away at the back of his consciousness. An itch demanding to be scratched.

Finally he had given in after spending half the night deliberating over what might be up there.

Gathering his 'tools' he regarded the guitar case propped up in the corner of his closet before slowly shaking his head and closing the door.

No, there would be no need for that right now with any luck.

He moved confidently, but quietly, giving the impression to anyone watching that his movements were nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious as he made his way up to the second floor, pausing outside Yui's door to make sure that there was no one stirring in the room before pulling down the sliding stairs that granted access to the attic.

A startlingly bright beam cut through the darkness as he snapped on the torch he had brought with him, scything it back and forth from the entrance to the dust filled room.

From his position, all he could make out were a number of trunks and old boxes, the usual fare for such places, but that didn't mean that there wasn't something hidden just out of sight somewhere.

Wincing as the floorboards creaked ominously, he began to search, carefully inspecting each item, opening boxes that were not sealed, and making a note of those that were and could possibly contain what he sought.

After several minutes of fruitless rummaging, he was forced to concede defeat, and prepared to leave.

There was a creak announcing that he was no longer alone, and he was barely able to cut the power to his light before he could be found.

Ryu had berated himself there in the dark for a moment. He had forgotten to pull the steps up after himself, and now one of the girls had come to investigate.

What would he do if it was Kanna? Or worse, Yui?

He shuddered at the thought of being trapped in the dark with the over amorous Molmolian.

He had been ready to run when a small voice pierced the darkness.

"Ano…sempai? Are you up here?".

_Ayu?_, he stepped out of concealment, clicking the switch that would reactivate his torch.

Nothing happened.

He shook the thing a few times without producing any results.

"I'm over hear Ayu", he called calmly, however the small girl still yelped as if he'd jumped on her in the darkness.

He hoped no one had heard her, it would be difficult enough to explain why he was up here without Kanna or one of the others insinuating something if Ayu was discovered along with him.

"Where are you?", she sounded nervous. Well, there wasn't anything he could readily do about that.

"A little towards the back, stay where you are, I'll come to you".

"Why are you up here without a light?", there was the question he had hoped to avoid.

"My torch seems to have died on me", he answered the most literal interpretation of her question, counting on her proven shyness to prevent her asking any others.

"Oh…ok", it was clear she knew he was dodging her real question, but unlike Kanna she wasn't the type to pry.

"Sempai?", she asked again when she heard him muffled a cry of pain. The small girl began to edge further away from the steps when he didn't answer right away, concern overcoming timidness momentarily.

"I'm fine", he said, annoyed with himself for walking into something. Even if it was dark, such clumsiness was inexcusable. He wondered for a moment if Ema's proven fumble footed nature was in some way contagious.

Picking up his pace to distance himself from the recent indignity, he had no way of knowing Ayu had moved, or just how far, until he collided with something that just about reached chest level.

Something that gasped and staggered back, sending them both crashing down in a tangle of limbs.

"Owwww", he heard Ayu whimper as he pushed himself back up onto his arms.

"Are you ok Ayu?", she made a strangled noise he wasn't sure how to interpret, but before he could find out what had her so flustered he was blinded by a bright light.

"I thought I heard someone sneaking around up here".

He closed his eyes. Of all the people who could have woken up, even though she was the closest, why of why did it have to be Yui?

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything stud, but don't you think this place is a little too dusty to be romantic?".

He frowned as his eyes adjusted to the torchlight, allowing him to just about make out the vague shapes of Yui, her night clothes not that different from her day wear, it looked like she'd simply ditched the long skirt, and next to her Chii, the latter wearing a t-shirt many times to big for her and rubbing one eye sleepily.

A tiny sound drew his attention downward, and he finally understood what Yui had been talking about.

Her face almost the same colour as the setting sun, Ayu was all but pinned beneath him, her slender figure small enough that he hadn't noticed after raising his weight off her while he was still stunned.

The fall having hiked the bottom of her nightshirt up coupled with the position they were in looked bad by anyone's standards. Link that with her blush and he if knew if Kanna had been here he would have said goodbye to consciousness a long time ago.

"Why is everyone up? Some of us are trying to sleep", speak of the devil.

What followed was one of the more embarrassing periods of Ryu's life. Being chased by a semi-naked girl might sound like fun, but not if she intends to beat you senseless after catching you.

After that Kanna had made a point of eating lunch with them, to protect poor defenceless Ayu from 'The Beast'.

Unfortunately, spending that much time around him over the next week or so, had redoubled the rumours she had wanted dispelled, which now featured talk of some sort of love triangle between her, Ryu and Ayu.

When she had heard a group of boys lamenting how lucky Ryu was to have caught not only her but "the cutest of the lower year I've ever seen, that lucky dog!", while eating lunch with both of them, she had made a point of punting the blond haired boy down the embankment he and Ayu had chosen, claiming afterward that he had been in her seat.

Still, she had calmed down a little towards the end of the week, mostly due to Ayu playing peacekeeper to their arguments. The last few days in particular were nice, though Ryu had the feeling Ayu was disappointed by something, but it was hardly his business to pry.

Kanna on the other hand had no such restrictions, even though she couldn't get her to admit what was wrong. Naturally she had decided Ryu was to fault and proceeded to lecture him about the proper treatment of a girl's feelings.

His response had been to ignore her until she ran out of breath, then saying, "Were you talking to me?".

True he had once again been used as a human baseball, this time Kanna's bag serving as the bat rather than her foot, but it had been worth it.

Ayu seemed to have been cheered up by her friends' antics, giggling prettily behind her hand as Ryu nonchalantly warned Kanna that he would bill her to have the grass stains removed if she continued before taking a new seat on the other side of Ayu.

Kanna had been quiet for a record time of ten seconds, before realising that Ryu had managed to weasel his way in next to the girl she was supposed to be protecting. Her words of course, not his.

This aside all things seemed tranquil until Ryu had discovered a chance to investigate Ema's room while conducting his floor cleaning duties, the chore assigned to him by Kanna, because it, "Requires a person to be able to move around comfortably on all fours, something any animal can do well".

He had quietly accepted the task, using it to complete more of his reconnaissance. Also the look of annoyance on Kanna's face when he didn't complain had almost forced him to crack an involuntary smile, and when Ayu had surprised everyone by speaking up in his defence, albeit quietly and with some stopping and starting, he had had to leave the room before her expression made him laugh.

After finding a small bounty's worth of 'hidden' materials, none of it related to anything he wanted, he had pulled the tabled directly under the panel in the ceiling above, deciding that there was nobody about, so now would be the best time to check it.

His head had poked through into another room. A room that was clearly occupied, and not just because of the possessions he could make out or the fact this room was dust free.

No, what stood out the most, was the girl in its centre.

Half in, half out of her tights, Kanna blinked to clear her vision, wondering why it looked like Ryu's head was sticking through the hole in her floor.

The obviousness of the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. Ironic, seen as her axe kick impacted the board on Ryu's head with similar force, even as he opened his mouth to attempt to explain.

That had been two days ago.

The day after, it had been announced their class was to attend a cultural field trip to Tokyo, lasting a number of days.

Which brings us nicely back to the present.

* * *

The chest of draws in Ryu's room slid aside slowly, and a black clad figure slipped out of a small hole concealed by a loose panel behind it.

With movements that bespoke of to much time watching action movies and little actual experience, the would be ninja stole across the room, hand planting over the table and dropping to a low crouch, turning on the spot and surveying the area.

Convinced she was in the clear, Yui removed the stuffy mask, taking a deep breath and grinning maniacally.

No one had caught her yet.

Now she could find out just what was locked in that guitar case of Ryu's. She had tried to open it before when she had taken his things for her 'Welcome' prank, but found it strangely impossible.

Yui had a naturally inquisitive mind, and Ryu's bizarre behaviour ever since moving in had kicked it into overdrive, and since he wasn't going to be here for a few days to interrogate, she'd just have to take the direct approach.

Cackling to herself she almost ran smack into Chii as she turned around.

"Chii-chan! What a surprise seeing you here. I was, erm, I was just….hang on a second, how did you get in?".

"Door", Chii said, pointing to the conventional method of entry, sitting ajar, helpfully.

"I thought it was locked", Yui said, feeling sheepish, "…hey, Chii-chan, you're not going to tell anyone onee-san was in here are you?".

Chii just shrugged in a sort of, "Depends why you're here", fashion.

Yui walked over to the closet, feeling her fingers tingle with anticipation as she slid the final barrier aside.

"Huh?", inside was nothing but a small piece of paper. Taking it out, Yui read it carefully:

_Dear Yui,_

_It's not that I don't trust you, but if you're_

_reading this…_

_Signed: Ryuuya_

* * *

Ryu snapped out of his daydream, glancing up at the overhead storage space to ensure his guitar case and duffle bag were still in place as the train rocked gently on its tracks.

They should be arriving at Korakuen Station anytime now, and from there it would be just a short walk to where they were staying, the Tokyo Dome Hotel.

He had been impressed to learn that a member of the school student council was a son of the building's manager, and had managed to book enough places for this trip, seen as both classes were relatively small, and a large number of Mizuki's class had prior commitments.

He glanced out the window, standing as he saw the station looming closer, the excited buzz around him rising as the teachers and other chaperones stood as well.

He grabbed his belongings and waited patiently as the others followed suit, piling off the train as soon as it stopped, and gathering near the exit as instructed.

"Is everyone here!", a voice called out across the din.

Ryu thought the question rather foolish, as how would the hypothetical absentee inform them?

"No, I'm not!", apparently one of the other boys had had similar thoughts, but thought nothing of disrespectfully voicing them.

"No we only wish you weren't!", that was Kanna's voice, no mistaking either the pitch or the volume. With a reluctant sigh, Ryu, moved in the direction of the loud girl, paying no mind to a few of the boys who recognised him and asked him if there was something he could do to shut her up.

"Please everyone, no fighting", the new voice was pleasant and seem to quell the brewing disturbance even before Ryu finished his trek.

He frowned for a moment. Why did that voice sound so familiar?

"Ok, lets get moving, everyone stick together and follow me", that was their teacher, Mr. Hitachi, and soon Ryu was caught up in the mob movement that rapidly swept Kanna out of sigh.

Ryu wrinkled his nose as he was jostled, noting that a few of the bolder girls seemed to be doing it on purpose but they soon stopped when he ceased catching them after their false trips.

As their destination loomed into view above them, Ryu made another attempt to locate Kanna, finally spotting her, Mizuki and Mae near the front of the group as one of their chaperones began speaking again.

"Tokyo Dome City, formally known as the Big Egg City, was given its new name in January 2000".

He fought down the urge to hit someone as a number of students blocked his path, forcing him to take another route. _All this effort, just to try and talk to someone I don't particularly like_, he mentally groused.

"It is an entertainment complex consisting of various facilities that include the Tokyo Dome Hotel, the Laqua, the Korakuen Hall, and the Tokyo Dome that is the Japan's first domed stadium built as a home field of the Yomiuri Giants professional baseball team in 1988".

He was sure a number of the baseball fans began weeping openly with joy at that statement. Several blocking his path as they dropped to their knees, thrilled at the prospect of being so close to such a thing.

Ryu managed to skirt them, but it put him further back from Kanna than when he started.

"The stadium accommodates up to 55000 people and has been used not only for baseball games, but also for other sports events, music concerts, shows, and other events. Outside the stadium, are the Laqua that contains shops, restaurants, spas, and attractions, and the Tokyo Dome Attraction, an amusement park used to be called Korakuen Amusement Park."

He could see Mae nudging Kanna as that last part was said, the other girl turning red and waving her hands in front of her.

"Professional wrestling and other marshal arts are mainly hosted at the Korakuen Hall. With so many things offered for all age groups, this place is busy throughout a year".

Having finally reached the front, just behind Kanna, he now saw who the speaker had been.

"Is that Natsuki?", he asked, not knowing he had spoken aloud until Kanna jumped, letting out a startled shriek.

Hearing the noise and spotting him, Natsuki waved enthusiastically, "Hi Ryu-kun!".

"Another one?", he heard someone whisper in the crowd as Kanna finally got her heart rate back under control.

"Natsuki", he nodded as she walked over.

"Sorry Ryu-kun, you can't call me that, I'm one of your supervisors", she giggled to herself as if that were the funniest thing in the world, drawing several stares from people who wondered what they were talking about.

"Very well Otohime-san", his stiff title set off another round of girlish laughter, and he was aware of some of the boys muttering amongst themselves, although he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Oh, and you're here with Kanna-chan, how romantic!", Kanna seemed to be choking on something for a moment as Mae patted her back.

"Hardly", Ryu spoke dryly.

"Ara, I suppose not, but remember Ryu-kun I can't let you two play like you normally would back-", Natsuki mumbled the last bit through Kanna's hand which was now clamped over the older woman's mouth.

"Ok Natsuki, that's enough time chatting with Ryuuya, time to get back to work", Kanna said with an unconvincing laugh.

"Ara, you're right", she said once Kanna released her mouth, turning back to the crowd.

"What was all that about?"

"I don't know, probably jealousy, she's already sharing with that shy blue haired girl"

"Really! I thought that was just a rumour!".

Kanna ground her teeth and shot Ryu a look that promised immense pain in his future. It was his fault she had to guard Ayu-chan when they were at school, and watch him in case he went after any other girls, so it was his fault these stupid rumours were getting worse.

"Follow me everyone and we'll get you all booked in", Natsuki called, leading them all into the lavishly decorated lobby, "The boys are all on floor twenty-two and the girls are on twenty-one".

"All students are sharing a double or triple room to save money, and there will be **no** interaction between floors, am I clear", Hitachi called out, trying to look as intimidating as a man of such stature and disposition could.

There was a general drone that was presumed to be a yes and the students were divided and assigned room numbers and issued keys.

Ryu lucked out after a fashion, his rising status earning him a trade off in rooms that left him with only a single roommate in a triple guest room.

As his starry eyed companion meandered about the room, describing aloud everything his found, right from the cable equipped TV to the line of bath products provided in the rooms private bathroom along with the small pile of in room yukatas, Ryu simply leant his things against one of the beds and sat down, staring out of the window, deep in thought.

For the next three days, he would be stuck here while the sword was somewhere back in the Hinata Sou.

True, three days wasn't very long, and it wasn't as if the sword was going anywhere in the meantime, but there was still the Kanna issue to solve if he was to actually be able to enjoy this time off, and he would have to watch his things, as he hadn't trusted Yui enough to leave them unprotected.

He pretended to listen to his roommate's animated description of the room, showing some vague interest when he learned of the safe the room boasted but becoming disinterested once more when he found it would be far to small to secure his guitar case in.

As his new companion, a boy by the name of Kei Yamato, if he remembered the dark haired boy's rambling introduction correctly, scoped out the room's mini-fridge, Ryu let his mind drift a little.

It would be difficult to find time to talk to Kanna alone, and attempting to find that time overtly would just lead to more rumours about the two of them, which would in turn only make her madder.

"Most bothersome", he muttered, letting his head sag.

"Hey you play guitar?", that question brought him out of his musings as he found Kei reaching for the case.

Kei cried out as an iron grip fastened itself around his wrist.

"There is nothing of interest in there for you…", Ryu spoke coldly, his eyes never leaving the other boys frightened orbs, "Do you understand?".

"Y-yes, s-sir", Kei huddled in place.

Ryu regarded him a moment longer before releasing him, watching as the boy rubbed his wrist tenderly, his eyes flicking to Ryu's face and then away again.

"I guess this means you don't have any interest in music then?" Kei said with a weak laugh, trying to lighten the suddenly dark atmosphere.

"Actually I like music quite a lot, they say it soothes the savage beast after all", Ryu sat back a little, his gaze distant as his hands clenched and unclenched at his side.

"Um….yeah, I guess they do…", the dark haired boy trailed off, unsure how to reply to such statements, "So you _like_ music?"

"Yes"

"But you don't play guitar?"

"Why do you say that?", Kei repressed the urge to shiver under Ryu's scrutiny. He knew he'd never understand the popular guys, but this guy was just creepy in some ways.

"Most musicians can't resist the urge to show off, my cousin was in a band once and everyone he knew only needed the slightest hint of interest to rip into a list of their talents…", Kei's eyes travelled back to the case.

"That in mind, I wouldn't have said there's a guitar in there at all, so what is it? Your father's ashes or something", Kei managed a weak laugh at his own joke.

"No, Mother has those", Kei gulped as Ryu answered.

"Are you serious?"

"Can you think of a reason someone would pretend their Father was dead?", Kei scratched his head nervously, not just because of the question, but because of the pained expression that crossed the other boy's face for a moment.

"True, I'm sorry if I offended you in any way", Kei said good-naturedly.

"There is…something very important in here…", Ryu said, patting the guitar case.

A knock at the door saved them both an awkward silence as Mr. Hitachi opened it seconds later.

"Come on you two, time is wasting; we have our first stop to visit today before you all start lazing about. You have ten minutes to change and assemble in the lobby, remember to bring your notebooks and pens as what you learn will be tested when we return home".

He left without waiting for an answer and the two boys changed in silence before heading downstairs.

* * *

Today was to be a day of background knowledge it seemed, as Mr. Hitachi had scheduled a number of visits to Tokyo's various museums within the Ueno and Taito area. First up was the Tokyo National Museum.

Ryu listened half-heartedly as Mr. Hitachi and the tour guide droned on about the extensive collection of Edo period artwork the museum boasted. He knew he should be paying attention, but if the other students were as mind numbingly bored as he was right that moment, perhaps he could sneak a small word in with Kanna without anyone being the wiser.

Ryu smirked. If he was really lucky, perhaps Kanna would be drowsy enough to stay quiet long enough for him to finish.

"What's funny?", Kei asked from his side, "Don't tell me you find this interesting?"

"Not greatly, my family has an interest in such things so I know most of what they are talking about already", he missed Kei's almost hero-worshipping expression.

"You're trying to figure out how to get Kanna's attention without being noticed right?", he smiled when Ryu glanced at him with one eyebrow upturned, "Yeah, kind of obvious, you've been looking at her more than the paintings…is it true then? Are you guys really dating?".

"Don't even joke about that", Ryu surprised himself with the quip waving a hand in front of his face as if to ward off evil spirits. His face dropped as he felt an icy chill between his shoulder blades from Kanna's direction and saw Kei advert his gaze.

When he turned she was still talking quietly to Mae. There was no way she could have heard him…right?

"These are particularly rare pieces, on temporary loan from the Etsuko and Joe Price collection in California, these pieces are all the works of Ito Jakuchu, Maruyama Okyo, and Sakai Hoitsu".

The image depicted was of a rooster and a hen circling each other proudly but vaguely intimately.

"Ito Jakuchu", Ryu responded under his breath when the tour guide asked who could identify the painter.

"Remind you of anything?", Kei whistled innocently when Ryu gave him a dry look. He managed to catch sight of Kanna again. She and the others were at the edge of the group now, regarding a painting depicting a visit of the Emperor of the time and his wife to Ueno park.

He nodded once to Kei and began to slip through the crowd.

"Hey, watch were you're- oh! Ryu-sama!", Ryuuya sighed, he had bumped into a gaggle of girls while focusing on Kanna, and even as he looked they had moved to encircle him.

"I apologise, I'll just be on my way", he tried to move only to find the way blocked.

"That's ok, this isn't really very interesting anyway, but I bet someone as smart as you knows a lot about this kind of thing", Ryu managed a half smile which seemed to immobilise the girl's tongue for a moment, now if he could just distract their attention…

There was a cry and a loud crash from the direction he had just come from, and a quick glance showed Kei on the floor clutching his ankle.

He gave Ryu a significant look before he was blocked from view by concerned students.

The meaning was clear, he had created a distraction and Ryu used it, slipping away while everyone's heads were turned.

Perhaps a little popularity wasn't so bad after all. He would have to find a way to thank the boy for his sacrifice later.

Slipping around a series of display cases, he managed to position himself just behind Kanna.

Mae spotted him and he held a finger up to his lips, motioning to Mizuki with his head.

The red haired girl nodded in understanding, taking Mizuki's arm and steering her away from Kanna, deeper into the crowd.

"We need to talk", he spoke quietly, just enough for Kanna to hear. She jumped again but didn't scream this time, choosing to try and elbow him in the gut but missing.

"What the hell do you want pervert?", she asked suddenly noticing that Mae and Mizuki had vanished.

"We need to talk, somewhere private would be preferable"

"Sorry, I don't go anywhere alone with creeps", before he could reply she had stomped back into the crowd, and next time he saw her, she was with Mae and co once more.

The rest of their first stop went without further incident and soon, spurred on by all he had seen, Mr. Hitachi had them heading on to the Ritual Mask exhibit after a brief pause in front of the Ueno Park section Kanna and co had been looking at.

"This display consists mainly of a group of _gyodo_ and _bugaku_ masks from Amano-sha shrine on Mt. Koya, which are some of the many ancient masks in the Tokyo National Museum's collection. These masks were used to perform the bugaku dance at Issaikyo-e, a Buddhist ritual that honors the whole set of sutras.  
The gyodo masks were worn by performers who pulled palanquins that carried Buddhist scriptures. Based on the shape and inscriptions written inside the masks, it is known that they represent some of the 28 guardian deities. Other examples of these masks - besides the ones stored here at the museum - are not known to exist.  
While some of the bugaku masks have been lost, the 15 existing masks of 8 varieties, such as Ryo-o and Nasori masks, allow one to see the scale of bugaku performances. In addition, there is also a Tsuina mask that is dated to the end of the Kamakura period", their balding teacher was the only one with any obvious interest, but Ryu couldn't help but snort under his breath.

His family knew where several of the 'lost' masks were located, and just why their locations had never been made public knowledge as they and others had helped hide them.

Such an extensive network of knowledge was one of the reasons he had been able to find out where the _Sword of Two Souls_ might be hidden.

Sensing his pupils growing restless, Mr. Hitachi had helped wind the tour to a close after only three hours.

He wasn't done however, oh no, next on the list was the Shitamachi Museum that lay at the other end of the park, though as a concession to his pupils, he allowed an hour's relaxation time in the park itself.

That didn't stop him from showing off his own knowledge however even if his students' enthusiasm seemed lacking.

"Ueno Park was created on the former grounds of Kan'eiji temple. During the battle of Ueno in 1868 most of the temple buildings were destroyed by fire. Soon afterward, the temple grounds were opened to the public for cherry blossom viewing, and was registered as a metropolitan park in April 1873. The Ministry of Home Affair's Museum Bureau started road improvement and other construction works in the park in January 1876, and on May 9th, the park was inaugurated in the presence of the emperor and his wife."

At that point Ryu had just managed to succeed in moving alongside Kanna, who was pretending she couldn't hear his quiet entreaties. When someone snapped a photo of the two of them, laughing about getting it autographed by the Emperor and his wife, Ryu had spent the rest of the day nursing a sore shin.

He had received only an apologetic smile from Mae and a more devious one from Mizuki before Kei and Natsuki had helped him limp over to a bench to rest. "Thereafter, Ueno Park was used as the venue for numerous national events including National Industrial Expositions held in 1877, 1881 and 1890. During that time, the museum and zoo opened, and a horse racetrack around Shinobazu Pond and Ueno Railroad Station were constructed", the teacher offered Kanna a withering look when she said that explained the number of _animals_ in the area, to which she smiled sweetly and asked him to continue.

"The bronze statue of Saigo Takamori, one of the important persons who worked for the Meiji Restoration, was erected in the park in 1898. The Tokyo Industrial Exposition of 1907 had attractions such as a water chute and ferris wheel. At the Peace Commemorative Tokyo Exposition in 1922, a seaplane that sped around on the Shinobazu pond surface was very popular".

"Don't suppose they do airmail", Kanna muttered.

"After the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1922, The park was used as a place of refuge, serving to make people aware of the importance of parks in large cities. Four months later, in January 1923, Ueno Park was presented to Tokyo City to celebrate the wedding of the crown prince. Since then, the park has been one of the most popular places in Tokyo".

"Hooray!", Mizuki sprinkled Kanna with shredded cherry blossoms while a group of her underlings did the same to Ryu.

Kanna glared.

Ryu's shin throbbed.

* * *

After everyone had recovered and eaten thanks to a number of food vendors that frequented the area, they moved on to the last stop in their journey that day.

"Seems so basic doesn't it?", Kei commented as he helped Ryu amble along behind the rest of the group.

"Not really, my family home is a lot like this", Ryu commented, gazing disinterestedly around the reconstructions.

"Where are you from?"

"Sendai"

"Ah, country boy", Kei laughed as Ryu rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the displays.

"Any sign of Kanna?"

"Sorry, my friend, but don't you think she's kicked you enough for one day? I'd give it a rest for now", Kei advised.

Ryu sighed, "You may be right".

"Of course I am, besides, we're supposed to be visiting the Imperial Palace and you know how amazing those gardens are supposed to be. I'm sure whatever you need to talk to her about will go smoothly in a place like that", he grinned when Ryu looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I thought I already explained to you about me and Kanna?"

"No, you just said you weren't dating…yet", he grinned wider as Ryu rolled his eyes at him again.

"If not her, then who? That other girl, what's her name…"

"Ayu", Ryuuya provided without thinking, almost biting his tongue afterwards.

"She's cute…plus she looks up to you being a little younger", Kei mused.

"Kei"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Shut up", he sighed as Kei grinned again. Who said friends were the best thing that ever happened to you?

He wasn't here to make friends; he was here to find the sword, nothing more, with that everything would be in order and he could leave.

If so why had he spent more time thinking about apologising to Kanna than he had about where the mythical blade might be hidden?

"So which is it?"

"What?", he asked, shaking off his thoughts and turning his attention outwards again.

"Ayu or Kanna, which one are you interested in?", Kei persisted, knowing that as Ryu's living crutch he couldn't get away from him, and even people like Ryu only have so much patience.

"What are we talking about?", Ryu almost groaned, Natsuki had wandered over to them to make sure they weren't lagging.

"Nothing much ma'am", Kei muttered, his face the same colour as Ayu's went whenever she tried to talk to Ryu for extended periods of time.

"Wait, you know Ryu right?"

"Of course, Ryu-kun and I live together after all".

Ryu fought to maintain balance as Kei missed a step and almost dropped him.

"Y-you, and s-she, tt-togther, I…"

"Breath Kei", Ryu advised, carefully making sure no one else had overheard.

"Not just me, there's Kanna, Mizuki and Ayu-chan, oh and lets not forget about Yui and little Chii", Natsuki checked each name off on her fingers, Kei growing paler with each name recounted.

"You live alone with three of the cutest girls in our school, plus two others I've never heard of and _her_!", he stage whispered, pointing at Natsuki who smiled and held one hand to her cheek demurely.

"I suppose when you put it that way it does sound a little naughty doesn't it?", Natsuki giggled.

Ryu could almost see the pink cloud over Kei's head containing his fantasy about Ryu's home life. No doubt it included very few clothes on the girls' part, and the sweetest dispositions you could imagine.

"You cannot tell anyone about this", Ryu warned his drooling companion.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah sure, but erm, something like this….wow! I mean er, you know, I should get something in return…how bout you show me what's in your guitar case?"

"No"

"Tell me?"

"No"

Kei frowned and thought hard for a moment before hitting upon the perfect request, "Then I want to visit you at home".

"That's not a good idea", Ryu said, already picturing Kanna's response if he turned up at the dorm with another man in tow.

"Pllllleeeeeeaaaasssseeee, come on, we're pals right?", Kei pleaded.

"We only met today".

"Please, oh, please, please, please", Kei grovelled.

"…Fine, it's your funeral", Kei seemed to ignore that warning as he tried to do a little dance while holding Ryu upright.

* * *

That night Ryu crashed on his bed exhausted. His leg only ached slightly now, but it had kept him from visiting any of the Hotel's facilities by himself, thus he had missed out on a lot.

However, as Kei had reminded him before running off to check out the pool, tomorrow was another day.

"What did I do to deserve this?", he groaned into his pillow.

He felt a twinge of guilt wash over him and his stomach seemed to cramp of its own accord.

Ryu rolled over so he could hold his arms out straight, staring at his hands.

He knew all too well what he had done.

All too well.

* * *

---Authors Note---

Ok, some nice little background hints in there, and a few bits of random cultural info for your enjoyment. What is in Ryu's mysterious case? Will he ever manage to talk to Kanna? Will he survive the talk so that Kei can get his wish? And what will happen when they all return to the Hinata Sou?

All this and more in Chapter Five: Castles and Ferris Wheels.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell.


	6. Chapter 5: Castles and Ferris Wheels

**A/N:** All information within this text has been adapted to suit the literary needs of me the author, it does not reflect the wishes or intents of those portrayed within, though all historical data is correct as of the time of publishing.

Chapter Five: Castles and Ferris Wheels

When Kei woke up the following morning, with far more energy than any sane person had a right to possess at such an early hour, Ryu was already up, seated cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed and hands folded in his lap.

Kei was struck by the resemblance to one of the Samurai of old. All Ryu needed was a waterfall to sit under, the light cotton yukata he wore played the part of a warrior's robes comically well.

_Perhaps I should start calling him 'Ryu-dono' from now on_, Kei thought smirking at his own candour.

He showered and dressed, towelling off his short hair as he re-entered the main room, he was surprised to find Ryuuya still in the same position, though his eyes darted beneath closed lids, and his lips moved with barely audible noise.

Was he asleep?

Kei chuckled, you saw this sort of thing all the time in anime and manga, the 'wise man' character everyone except the main character respected, would be doing something similar when he was discovered by the main character to be merely napping.

Kei had no illusions of being the focus of a story, his life was far to boring to be documented, but maybe he'd get the chance to be a sidekick at least to Ryu's tale, especially with all those girls involved.

His expression glazed over for a moment before he shook his head clear of the pleasant images of what he hoped to find upon visiting Ryu's home.

Like most he had a selective memory that blocked out all memory of Kanna's negative behaviour toward Ryu. Already he was forgetting where the bruise on his friend's shin had come from.

He glanced at the clock. The dining halls downstairs would be offering breakfast, and since they had all been forbid from ordering room service, they would need to get down early to get good seats.

He knelt down in front of the other boy and snapped his fingers in front of his eyes. Ryu didn't even stir.

"Yo, Ryu, rise and shine!", he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound.

Still nothing.

"Damn Ryu, you sleep like the dead", Kei commented as if his friend were conscious enough to hear him.

Kei thought for a moment, "Oooooooh Ryu, Kanna's here"

Was that a twitch?

Kei smiled widely, "She's in nothing but a robe, says she has something private to talk to you about".

Nothing.

"You're not dead are you?", he asked jokingly, still getting no response.

It was then Kei began to actually pay attention to what his friend was saying in his trance like state.

"…I won't let you…this is…mind……………Father…", Kei blinked and edged back a little. He had no idea what the other boy was talking about, but it didn't sound to healthy. Hadn't he told Kei his father was dead?

"Ok buddy, time to wake up now", Kei said clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder and giving it a light shake.

The response was immediate. Ryu's eyes snapped open and his hands lashed out, one wrapping around Kei's wrist, the other curling around his throat in a vice like grip.

Kei froze, but not because the hand cutting off his air supply.

It was Ryu's eyes. Those didn't look like the eyes of his friend. He blinked and the effect seemed to vanish.

_Must have been a trick of the light, there's no way…_

"Ryu…air…need", he choked out when Ryuuya released his wrist to rub his head groggily.

Ryu looked at him as if he didn't understand what he was talking about. Seeing the cause of Kei's oxygen problem, he dropped him immediately, almost falling back on the bed as Kei tried to steady his shaky legs.

"You know, you could have just _told_ me you're not a morning person", Kei wheezed around a small smile, his sense of humour and natural goodwill already rebounding after what very well could have been a near death experience.

Ryu just stared at the hand that had clutched Kei's throat as if he expected it to turn on him at any moment.

Kei took a seat on his bed, massaging his neck while using one of the room's mirrors to check for any signs of bruising.

He sighed; he'd have to find something high necked to where for a few days and hope it was sleeveless.

He had a few tops he had brought while he had been into "Naruto" a few years back cause he thought they looked like Sasuke's, they still fit. All he had to do was hope that no one pointed out what they reminded them of, he had a hard enough time meeting girls as it was without being labelled an otaku.

Shrugging one the dark blue material, he glanced back at Ryu who still hadn't moved.

"Yo, earth to the brooder, you gonna get dressed or what?"

"…You still want me to stay near you?", Ryu asked cautiously.

"Course", Kei said striking an nonchalant pose like Ryu was prone to do, "You still owe me a house full of cute girls remember".

Ryu cracked what might have been a small smile, Kei didn't know him well enough yet to be sure, "Some would say you have a death wish… it's safer to run than be around me at times…".

Luckily he had spoken quietly enough for that last part that Kei didn't hear him.

"You'd risk something like that happening again just to meet girls?", _and not particularly sane ones_, he added mentally.

"You bet!", Kei pumped the air with his fist, "I'd have to be stupid to pass up a chance to like this. House full of beautiful girls, hanging around with one of the most popular guys in school, it'll make a kick ass inspirational journey for my story!".

Ryu just shook his head. This was the first he had heard about any story, but Kei spoke as if everyone already knew his name and waited with baited breath for him to spin his next yarn.

"Besides, if you go all psycho on me again, I know kung fu", Kei executed a number of sloppy, but enthusiastic punches, the kind that told the observer they had been instructed but not for very long, "I'll kick you back to your senses".

_If you ever saw me really loose it you'd probably void your bowels first_, Ryu thought with a rueful shake of his head.

With any luck as soon as he found the sword he would never have to worry about that again.

"I may hold you to that", he said, smirking openly when he saw Kei pale for a moment.

"Haha, very funny", Kei said when he realised Ryu was just toying with him, "Get dressed or I'm gonna tell Kanna I saw you getting it on with Natsuki"

He was out the door before Ryu could finish standing, laughing all the way down the hall, drawing some curious looks from some of the other boys as they headed in the same direction.

* * *

When Ryu eventually made his way downstairs, Kei was waving to him from a table that seated a rather surprising entourage. Namely, Mae, Mizuki, Kanna and himself. The first two looked up and gave him a small greeting, though Mizuki's was more of a grunt from where she was slumped face down on the table.

"Another morning person", Kei grinned when his friend gave him an even stare that promised dire consequences if he continued down this line of conversation.

He took the only free seat at the table, directly next to Kanna, ignoring the dirty look she shot him as if he'd planned the seating arrangements before hand, and taking a slice of toast from the rack offered by Mae.

"So, everyone excited about today", Kei asked cheerfully, his enthusiasm lost on everyone but Mae who responded just as energetically, while he ate, Kanna stared moodily out at the magnificent view offered from the hotel, and Mizuki began snoring…loudly.

Ryu glanced around the table as Kei and Mae chattered, two bubbly personas interacting happily. Was this really how things had turned out? Back when he had been planning this, even up to the point when he had been sitting on the bridge back in Hinata, if you told him he'd be in Tokyo sharing breakfast with two beams of sunshine in human form, a girl who seemed to be applying for a position as the centrefold of Narcoleptics Monthly, and a girl who seemed to act as if just looking at him and responding like a civilized human being would end the world, well…in all truth he probably would have just stared icily for suggesting something so ridiculous until you cowered and ran.

He didn't make any attempt to speak to Kanna that morning, he didn't have the mental fortitude to do so after what had happened earlier that morning, and the dreams he had had last night after falling asleep.

* * *

Unbeknownst to him, this silence was having more of an effect than his previous attempts at conversation had. Kanna spend the whole hour or so they were seated, ready to shoot him down the moment he spoke, but he barely even looked at her, and when he did it was coincidence.

At first she had been angry that he was ignoring her. Then she had been mad for getting upset that he wasn't paying any attention to her.

Finally she had begun to feel the stirrings of something akin to worry when she caught him spacing out at the table every now and then.

There was just something so lost in his expression in those brief instances that she couldn't help but feel some compassion.

_What's wrong with him?_, she found herself thinking, _He can't have given up already, he never lets anything get to him_.

It didn't occur to her to question _why_ she wanted him to keep trying to talk to her, and whenever her mind began to wander that avenue she deftly steered it back on course.

This was all about Ryu, not her.

She almost gave in to the urge to try and talk to him herself, but luckily or not, Mae decided that they needed to leave to get ready for the day's activities, and they left the two boys to their own devices.

As they left, Kanna cast one last glance back over her shoulder at where Kei seemed to be trying to bring his friend out of his self induced funk with loud and flamboyant behaviour.

_Ryu…_

Maybe…maybe she'd let him talk to her today.

* * *

The trip from the station to the Palace grounds was relatively uneventful, baring one minor incident.

No sooner were they off the train, than Kei had begun acting strangely, always glancing back over his shoulder as if there was someone tailing them.

"What are you doing?", Ryu asked while Mr. Hitachi and Natsuki began sorting out the milling students, already annoyed by his friends fidgety behaviour.

"It's so close!", Kei hissed excitedly.

"What is? The Palace? I know this is a big moment in our cultural lives, but aren't you overreacting?", Ryu asked when Kei seemed to start bouncing in place.

"I'm not talking about that! The centre dude! It's just a few blocks from here", he sighed when Ryu gave him a blank look that showed he didn't understand what Kei was talking about.

"Never mind, just cover me ok", without waiting for a response he began slipping away into the crowd.

Ryu watched as the crowd parted and a dejected Kei was marched back over by Mr. Hitachi.

"I thought something like this might happen, good thing I was prepared wasn't it Mr. Yamato?", he spoke folding his arms sternly.

"Hai sensei", Kei groaned, hanging his head as a number students laughed.

Ryu didn't know how to react as Kei trailed along with the rest of them, he still didn't know what the other boy had been planning, but it seemed the class was familiar with the reason.

They passed by a large and impressive building as they proceeded through the gates, their guides providing each student with a ticket as their teacher explained the basics of their visit.

They would travel around the grounds counter clockwise, starting with the eastern gardens, moving on to the Kitanomaru Nat'l gardens and the Yasukuni shrine before doubling back around past the Palace proper, and swinging back to the entrance they had come through after viewing the Niju-bashi bridge.

Naturally it didn't take long for Mr. Hitachi to launch into another of his rambling speeches, once again showcasing his vast historical knowledge.

"The current Imperial Palace (Kokyo) is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the centre of Tokyo, a short walk from Tokyo Station. It is the residence of Japan's Imperial Family"

"Great, more Edo fun", one boy grumbled, shrinking back a little under the glare his teacher gave him.

They walked in relative silence for a while until entering the grounds of the eastern gardens.

"What's that all about?", one girl asked, pointing to the semi-demolished tower like structure ahead of them.

"Glad you asked", Mr. Hitachi said, unaware of the looks being directed at the poor girl. It was so nice to see today's youth taking an active interest for once.

"The Imperial Palace East Gardens (Kokyo Higashi Gyoen) are a part of the inner palace area and are the former site of Edo Castle's innermost circles of defence, the honmaru ("main circle") and ninomaru ("secondary circle"). None of the main buildings remain today, but the moats, walls, entrance gates and several guardhouses still exist. That structure on the hill over there is one such ruminant, and we will have a chance to see it after we pass through one of the many ornamental gardens that have been created here in the ninomaru over the years".

'Ornamental' hardly did what they saw justice. Beautifully and painstaking crafted, the small garden was orientated around a natural lake, the far bank of which had been festooned with as many carefully arranged trees as the gardeners could keep up with, giving the whole area a secluded, peaceful feel to it, as if the viewer had found something secret that human eyes were not meant to glimpse.

Ryu had to agree with the appreciative murmurs of his peers, it was indeed an impressive work. It reminded him of nostalgic moments from his childhood, walking along by the pond that his ancestors watched over with his Father and Mother, and sometimes his Aunts though he hadn't seen them in a long time.

He felt someone tugging at his sleeve, and glanced down, wondering what Kei wanted.

He was surprised to find Kanna standing next to him, looking out across the water but still holding his shirt lightly between her thumb and forefinger.

"It's pretty, isn't it?", she asked, a small smile on her face as she looked down on the clear water.

"Indeed", he said, wondering why she was suddenly initiating conversation. His old friend paranoia raised its head, but when you're the only male living with a bunch of women, one of whom overtly sees you as her plaything, even minor changes in behaviour produce strong responses.

"Jeez, don't talk my ear off or anything Ryu", she said, her eyes glittering with amusement as she glanced up at him, a challenging smirk in place.

"Vocal outbursts are your forte, not mine", he shrugged and she surprised him by snorting a laugh and returning to her observations.

_That was…unexpected_, he mused as Natsuki began calling them.

"Come on boy", she said, getting a tighter grip on his sleeve before dragging him along like a dog or a mischievous child. Facing the other way, she couldn't see his expression go from shock to anger before settling on one of his patented glares, and if she did, she probably would have been strangely happy about it.

It appeared she had been worried about nothing after all. Ryu was his usual dry, jerky self, but she wasn't about to let him off for ignoring her this morning and for his previous behaviour, that would set a bad precedent, even if she wasn't really mad at him anymore.

"A wide lawn and the remaining foundation of the former castle tower can be found on top of this hill, where the castle's innermost buildings once stood. The castle tower was completed in 1638 as the tallest castle tower in Japan's history. But only a few years later in 1657, it was destroyed by citywide fires and has not been rebuilt ever since", their teacher spoke as they ascended the hill, somehow managing to do so without winding himself, though he didn't look like a particularly healthy man.

Standing atop the remains, Hitachi continued to prattle on about various builders and architects who had helped construct parts of the grounds, pointing them out to the class using the vantage point they now stood on.

"Wow, you can see everything from up here", Kanna ran to the nearest edge of the crumbling structure, smiling as the spring breeze tousled her hair and spreading her arms out on either side of her as she stood there.

She closed her eyes, allowing the sun to warm her face pleasantly.

"You know we should be listening to what sensei is trying to tell us all, there's supposed to be a test on all this", Ryu said, walking up next to her, hands resting casually in his pockets.

"Mae's taking notes for me", she said, clasping her hands behind her back and turning to smile at him, "Besides, wouldn't you rather hang out with a beautiful girl than some stuffy old man?".

Ryu was a little taken aback by her question. She had, on occasion, teased him before while she, him and Ayu ate lunch together, but this time she sounded more like Yui, as if she were…flirting, with him.

"Show me the girl and I'll tell you", he responded automatically, his tongue to used to trading insults to waste time waiting for his brain to make sense of the new data it was processing.

Kanna screwed up her face, her posture loosing its girlish edge for a moment, "Oooooo, jerk!".

"So you say", he said, moving over to the short wall she stood upon, offering his hand to help her down, "Come on, everyone's about to leave".

She eyed his hand for a moment as if it were some poisonous reptile, but eventually took it and hopped down.

"Ryu…", he noticed a small blush tingeing her cheeks, "You can let go of my hand now".

He unclasped her hand quickly, surprised by his own actions, but not before someone snapped a picture of them holding hands amongst the ruins of the tower, the sun in the background overhead and the wind blowing Kanna's hair toward him, almost but not quite hiding her blush.

Mizuki grinned as she thanked Mae for lending her one of her disposable cameras. Yui would love these shots.

Ryu braced himself for the whatever she would do next when she realised what had happened, but no pain erupted anywhere on his body. In fact Kanna just shook her fist at the retreating, and giggling, form of her so called friends and stomped off after them, leaving him to his own devices.

As he stared after her it occurred to him that he still hadn't actually apologised to her yet.

Shaking loose the mental cobwebs he set off after the group.

* * *

"Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. In 1888 construction of a new Imperial Palace was completed. The palace was once destroyed during World War Two, and rebuilt in the same style, afterwards".

Ryu listened with only vague interest as he watched Kanna from the corner of his eye. She hadn't spoken to him at all since the tower incident, but she had also not moved from his side since then either.

It was…perplexing, to say the least.

Not only was this the longest time he had heard her stay quiet in well…ever, there was also the matter of his lingering thoughts about taking her hand back at the tower.

It had felt surprisingly small and frail when not balled into a fist and being waved under his nose in a threatening manner, and soft where he had half expected it to be callused.

They were currently approaching the Kokyo Gaien as Natsuki helpfully informed everyone, the large plaza from which they would view the last of the Palace's sights seen as the inner areas were closed outside of the new years greeting and the Emperor's birthday ceremonies.

He followed the others as they lined up along the rail to view this final spectacle.

"The stone bridge in front is called Meganebashi (Eyeglass Bridge) for its looks. The bridge in the back was formerly a wooden bridge with two levels, from which the name Nijubashi (Double Bridge) is derived", Hitachi informed them in a quiet voice, not wanting to break the spell the sight had over his students, smiling every time he heard one of them gasp, _"Sugoi…"_.

Ryu cast a glance down at Kanna as she lent on the rail, a small smile tugging at her lips, but her eyes didn't seem focused on the bridges.

Had he been paying more attention, he might have noticed Kei and Mae conversing behind them, occasionally pointing as if arguing about something before nodding with almost identical grins.

"Beautiful, isn't it?", Kei asked, sidling up to his friend casually.

"Yes…", Ryu muttered, not realising he had still been looking at Kanna when he spoke before turning to regard his all too innocently smiling friend.

"What is it Kei?", he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing much old buddy, old pal, just thought now would be as good a time as any to tell you I checked out all those places you asked me to", his grin was steadily getting bigger.

"Places?"

"Yeah, you know, the amusement park you said you were going to take Kanna to tomorrow seen as we have the day free until we leave", you could have heard a pin drop at that moment, or at least, that's how it seemed to Ryu.

The girl in question had almost fallen herself; thankfully the rail had been there to cling to as her knees threatened to give for a second.

Had she just heard right, was Ryu planning to take her out on a big date?

"Kei", Ryu began warningly.

"No need to thank me Ryu, I'm happy to help, I'll fill you in on all the details tonight. In the meantime, why don't you take care of the most important bit", he hinted, pointing none to subtly at Kanna.

Ryu felt a headache coming on. He would have to remember to beat Kei unconscious after this. Kanna probably wouldn't find this as funny as his friend did.

"Kanna", once more he was cut off.

"I accept", her blurted statement froze both of them.

_Oh crap_, she thought, _Why did I just say that!_

In truth she had been thinking about what to say if Ryu asked her, or more accurately, daydreaming about the date itself, though she would never admit it, even to herself.

"What?", Ryu leant down so only she could hear him, "I thought you wanted people _not_ to think we were dating? Doesn't this counteract such statements".

Kanna's heart did a passable impression of a jack hammer when he started to lean toward her, but her voice was even when she responded.

"True, but this isn't a date, this is you making up for everything you've done wrong".

He held her gaze for a moment longer before sighing deeply, "Fine, but this can only end badly, I think we both no that".

"Everything will be fine as long as you don't try anything funny", she snapped back, scooting backward to regain some personal space and standing upright.

"For the last-", Ryu ground his teeth and fought down his temper, "I would never think of trying anything with you".

She looked upset by that reassurance for a moment before the spark returned to her eyes.

"Fine", she declared crossing her arms.

"Fine".

They glared at each other for a moment before turning their backs on the other.

Unseen, Kei and Mae gave each other a high-five.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this", Ryu's voice called from the bathroom over the sound of running water.

"Take it like a man you big baby", Kei called back from the main room, amused by the shear quantity of complaining the usually stoic man was doing about going on a date with a pretty girl of all things.

"…Just so you know, I plan to get my revenge for this someday", Ryu promised darkly.

"Uh-huh, you smiling mug is thanks enough", Kei fired back; after all, Ryu couldn't hurt him from the shower surely.

He clutched his side laughing when only silence answered that last remark, his rolling bringing him face to face with Ryu's guitar case.

Almost instantly his mirth vanished.

Ryu was distracted…the case was right here…

Curiosity is a strange emotion; it has little apparent adaptive advantage for humans as a race, as without the higher intelligence needed to control it, which humans didn't evolve until later, and arguably, some never evolved, it can be most deadly.

Kei snuck a glance over his shoulder. The bathroom door was shut, and he could still hear the sound of the water running.

Kei had a rather brief and one-sided conversation with the crippled and malformed creature that represented his conscience before sitting down next to the case and lowering to carefully onto his lap.

So here was the big question, should he open it or not?

A few seconds searching located the two dial locks that secured the case.

For a moment Kei considered stopping. Anything that warranted this much protection probably wasn't something the owner wanted to be casually pawed at.

Fate however, had a different idea.

When Yui had been rapidly trying different combinations to open the case when she had taken it, she had only missed by one digit, and as Kei's thumb brushed the dial, the latches clicked open simultaneously, allowing the springs within the case to push open the lid in a single smooth motion.

"No…friggin…way…", he breathed, staring with open wonder at the contents of the case.

_Perhaps I was right earlier…_, he thought.

"What are you doing?", Kei snapped the lid back down as a dangerously cold voice seemed to echo from everywhere around the room at once.

Still dripping wet, Ryu stood impassively in the doorway to the bathroom, the shower still hissing away merrily in the background.

"I, erm, I was, just…you know how it is…I'm sorry?", Kei began backing up rapidly as Ryu silently stalked toward him.

"Hey, come on Ryu, my bad I know", he looked frantically for an escape but found none.

"Kei…".

* * *

Kanna turned over her wrist to look at the time on her small watch.

11:30am

Ryu was ten minutes late so far. She sat down on one of the benches outside the Tokyo Dome's amusement park and allowed herself to sulk for a moment.

She didn't know why she was so upset that the big jerk hadn't shown up. It wasn't like this had been her idea after all.

She frowned down at the flowing blue summer dress she wore. She didn't even remember why she had packed something like this, but Mae had praised it as 'perfect' upon discovering it after routing through all of the clothes she had brought with her, leading her a pair of light brown sandals which complimented it and helping her tie her hair back, though Kanna had wanted to leave it down.

She didn't want the idiot to think she'd put a lot of work into this and get the wrong idea, not that Mae's jumping her and applying make up while Mizuki held her down wasn't going to give that impression.

She picked at an imaginary strand one the darker blue blouse she wore over the dress, so shear in nature it was almost transparent.

Her cheeks warmed when she remembered Mizuki suggesting she went wearing that with nothing underneath and one _her_ skirts, the ones she had picked out last time she went shopping with Yui.

That might just have given the big stupid head an aneurysm right then and there, but as amusing as that would have been she would never have been able to show her face again.

She glanced at her watch again.

"Stupid Ryu, late for his own date, jerk… Not that this is a date!", she corrected herself, drawing strange looks from several passers-by.

"I think we established that already", a dry voice came from almost directly behind her and she only barely managed to stop herself from screaming.

She whirled on Ryu, daring him to be smirking at her, but his face was as carefully controlled as usual.

Somehow that only made her madder.

"You enjoy creeping around like some sort of snake, don't you?", she glared at him when he just shrugged, taking a moment to take in his appearance.

Black jeans with a white t-shirt and a black short-sleeved shirt worn open over the top with a small silver necklace completing the look. His spikes had that slight glean which indicated he'd applied fresh gel, meaning he's showered beforehand.

Kanna suddenly felt a little awkward, it looked like he'd really gone all out, she could smell a very faint whiff of his deodorant from here.

"Looks like even you can clean up pretty nicely", she said when the silence began to drag.

He opened his mouth and she had the feeling he was about to make some sort of smart ass crack, but it died on his lips as he looked her over without trying to make it obvious.

She unconsciously stood a little straighter, resisting the urge to glare at him when she realised what she had done.

"You too", he said quietly.

"Well of course I do", she said with a false laugh, hands on her hips as if it had never been in question, only her flaring checks spoiling the image.

"So", she mimicked her pose from the tower, hands held almost coyly behind her back, "Where are we going first?".

* * *

Ryuuya had decided early on that it would be less trouble to simply let Kanna pick what attractions she wanted to visit and go from there.

Being so early in the day also worked in their favour. The lines were shorter for a start, meaning they were able to ride a number of things that normally would have been packed at this point later on.

Kanna had insisted on first trying the Linear Gale, one of the worlds first linear roller coaster to feature the hanging strap, according to what the excited girl read off the display board that preceded the roped off area they were to cue in.

He had been a little uneasy with the whole idea at first. He had confessed reluctantly that he had never even seen a roller coaster; so going on something that was supposed to be new even for veterans wasn't an idea that thrilled him.

Kanna had whined and pouted, but eventually succeeded in getting him onboard by appealing to his pride.

In other words, she called him chicken.

When the ride had ceased, Ryu had vowed never to go anywhere with her again, but she had been to busy dragging him on to the next attraction to notice his complaints, or the slight discolouration on his face.

Ryu watched as she darted about light a child with too much sugar, bodily dragging him behind her.

Oddly he found himself less annoyed with her than he should have been. Her smile was infectious though it didn't succeed in surfacing one of his own, and her constant grip on his hand had a surprisingly soothing effect on his temper.

She had dragged him on something called the Tower Hacker, a drop ride that did just that. Ryu wondered if she was trying to kill him when they finally got off that, but he was given no respite before being taken on the next ride, this time an indoor jet-coaster known as Geopanic, which soaked his shirt when Kanna used him as a shield.

* * *

"Here", Kanna handed Ryu a cup with a straw in it, fighting the urge to smile when he eyed the cool beverage suspiciously before accepting it.

She had certainly learned something interesting about Ryu today; he had an allergy to almost everything fun, and a weak stomach.

Still, despite that he had never once complained when she took him on ride after ride that left him nauseous and disorientated, and refused to acknowledge there was anything wrong with him, simply telling her to make her next choice.

He also managed to avoid seeming bored or uncomfortable around her like she had expected seen as it had been pretty obvious after seeing him on the first ride that this wasn't his idea like his dark haired friend had suggested.

That actually made the whole gesture kind of…sweet, in a way she wouldn't have thought possible coming from Ryu.

She smiled, resting her cheek on her hand as he silently sipped his drink, visibly unwinding under the cool shade of the parasol above them.

A growing crowd had begun to meander around, some stopping at the same café they sat outside of now.

Kanna was slightly disappointed by that. For a time it had been almost like they had the whole park to themselves. Like he had rented it out just to please her.

She noticed Ryu looking at her with one eyebrow raised and quickly banished her silly daydream.

"What?", she asked a little more harshly than she would have intended, sitting up and sipping at her own drink.

If he was put off by her sudden change in demeanour, it didn't show, "It's almost time to go".

"Already?", she looked at her watch. It was indeed fast approaching the time they would need to return and collect their things to check out.

She bit her lip. She had one more place she had been debating about going to, unsure whether it was the kind of thing that would make this seem to much like a real date or not.

"What is it?", Ryu asked, seeing her frown at her watch.

"I…I was…", _damn it just say it, _she thought, "I want to go on one more thing…".

Ryu shrugged, "I suppose there's time".

"You're too kind", she drawled sarcastically.

"All too true", he shot back, moving his legs when she tried to kick him, "So, what is it?".

Kanna did something that looked a lot like playing shyly with her fingers for a moment, but he had to have imagined it.

"I want to go on that", she said, pointing to the large, wheel-like ride at the far end of the park.

The Ferris Wheel had been built to temporarily replace the Skyflower, a parachuting ride that had been taken down after an accident. Or that was the official story; some believed it was merely an attempt to rival the Palette Town amusement park, famous for it's giant Ferris Wheel.

Ryu let out a small sigh. Finally, a ride that wouldn't put him at serious risk of bodily harm or death.

Of course, growing up in the country, Ryu had never come across the various urban myths and so on which talked about the 'magic' of such rides, and their place in tales of highschool romance.

So when he agreed and began to stand, he never noticed the way Kanna blushed and nodded uncertainly before following.

* * *

Once secure in the booth, Kanna and Ryu had taken seats directly across from each other, but while Kanna glanced around the small space nervously, Ryu simply stared out of the window behind him as the ride began to move.

_Ok, nothing to worry about_, Kanna told herself, _Just two friends enjoying the scenery, that's all, nothing even vaguely romantic about this. Ryu probably doesn't even know anything about Ferris Wheels, and even if he does…_

Kanna couldn't bring herself to finish that thought in words.

_Why the hell did I do this!_

"Are you ok?", she jolted a little, looking around before realising Ryu was talking to her.

"Who me?"

"Unless there is someone else hiding in here with us", she glared at him and crossed her arms.

"Well?"

"I'm fine", she huffed, turning away from him for good measure.

Ryu was silent for a moment before an idea occurred to him, "You're scared of heights".

"Huh?", she faced him again, seeing the look of understanding on his otherwise smooth features.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, but I wonder why you wanted to go on this ride so badly if you suffer from such a phobia?".

"I'm not scared of heights", she bit out, standing and stomping her foot when he gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, "I am not!".

The booth shook as the ride ground to a halt at it's zenith, just at the moment Kanna's balance was at it's worst.

She cried out as she was pitched forward.

Down below the operator locked the break in place and glanced over at the red haired girl who'd asked him to do this.

He'd figured it wouldn't hurt any, and besides, who could have said no to such a cute girl.

Back in the booth, Kanna and Ryu found themselves in an interesting position. Kanna's fall had ended with her hitting Ryu as he stood up to steady her, pitching them both back onto his seat with her in his lap.

That wasn't the most interesting part of their current arrangement however. What had both teenagers uncomfortably aware of each other was the fact that their foreheads were still gently touching, bringing them literally a hairs breath either way from each other.

Kanna stared with impossibly big brown eyes at the face barely an inch from her own. She trembled a little as she realised she could feel Ryu's hand on her hip and his breath mingling with her own.

If either of them were to move forward just a little more…

The dark haired girls breath was shallow, and her heart pounding, but she couldn't seem to get her body to move, it was almost as if Ryu had hypnotised her.

She tensed as she felt him begin to move.

_What is he…he's not going to…I…don't…_

Her eyes seemed to drift shut of their own accord, her lips pursing slightly in anticipation.

_Ryu…_

"Are you ok?", his cold voice seemed to shatter the moment, and when Kanna opened her eyes she realised he had moved out from under her and was rubbing the back of his neck tenderly.

Her face felt as if it were on fire and she turned away before answering, "Yeah, I'm ok…you?"

"Fine"

"That's good…", Kanna couldn't even think about how stupid their conversation was at the moment.

"…Hey Kanna", she yelped an looked up when he suddenly spoke.

"Yeah?", what was he going to say?

"It was…fun…today I mean".

Kanna smiled to herself, looking out at the fantastic view of the city they had from the booth.

"Yeah, it was".

* * *

On the train ride back Kanna was too spent to argue when Mae insisted she sit next to Ryu, and he didn't seem bothered by her presence. Besides it was either this or have Mae and Mizuki grill her for details about her 'date'. As she felt herself beginning to be lulled into a light slumber by the gentle rocking motion of the train, Kanna couldn't help but smile when she thought back on the past few days. Soon she was sound asleep, her head pillowed on Ryu's shoulder as he dozed lightly himself unaware of what she was doing.

There was a click as Mizuki snapped another shot of the 'happy couple'; she and Mae had had a busy day tailing those two after Kei helped set this whole thing up.

Speaking of Kei, where was the dark haired boy anyway

* * *

"Home at last", Ryu remarked as they ascended the last of the steps to the Hinata Sou, both residents exchanging a looks for a moment before turning their attention back the majestic old building as a wave of cherry blossoms swept by.

"Yeah, home sweet home", Kei said, throwing an arm around Ryu, "You know I'll never be able to repay you for this my friend, all those girls…hehe".

_I should have just killed him_, Ryu thought hanging his head, _But that would have drawn too much attention_.

"Thank you so much for inviting me", Kei continued, oblivious to the dark aura that was building up around Kanna, adding in a whisper, "Oh and don't worry, I won't tell anyone what's in the case".

"_Ryyyyyyyyyyu_", his name almost sounded like a curse rolling off her lips.

Ryuuya sighed. At least things where back to normal.

* * *

---Authors Notes---

Hello friends, yet another chapter in this, the final tale I plan to tell complete. Coming up next is Chapter Six: Festival; It's a celebration at the Hinata Sou, and there's a new face here for the fun, Kei meets the girls. Will his opinion of Ryu change, or will he become even more of a hero.

Emotions are high and feelings threaten to burst in the next instalment of Love Hina: Children of Ice and Fire.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	7. Chapter 6: Festival

Chapter Six: Festival

Ryu massaged his aching temples, willing the troublesome malady to leave him be, and true to his surmounting luck, it promptly ignored him, seemingly determined to decorate the surrounding walls with the inside of his skull.

This sort of thing always happened after he had one of his nightmares, but he doubted those were actually the main source of these pains this time.

* * *

As Ryu blocked another of Kanna's punches, each evasion making her angrier by the second, Kei seem to be lying prostrate before the Hinata Sou like a holy man on a pilgrimage, mumbling reverently under his breath. 

The respectful image was somewhat tainted by his lecherous grin, enhanced by the way his bowed posture caused the other boy's fringe to obscure his eyes.

Any further observation was impossible with an irate and monstrously strong young woman attempting to rearrange the position of his facial features.

"How long have you been planning this you pervert!", Kanna was yelling, what a surprise, when he turned his attention back to her, "You think just cause we allowed you to live here you can bring more of your kind here to ogle us!".

_Where the hell does she get these ideas_, he wondered, ducking under an air ripping roundhouse kick.

Kei was no help; he was bowing and thanking Kami-sama (all incarnations) and Ryuuya himself out loud, adding fuel to Kanna's conclusions.

Not for the first time Ryu wondered if he should have just killed him and tried to hide the body.

True his intervention had proved instrumental in bringing a measure of understanding between himself and the very girl who was intent of causing him as much localised bodily harm as possible in as little time as possible, but it had also caused the current problem to a degree.

_One step forward, three steps back_, he thought that categorised him and Kanna's relationship quite well.

He got clipped lightly across the jaw when he didn't move fast enough after realising he had just referred to him and Kanna as having a 'Relationship'. Even in his own mind that was simply unacceptable.

Luckily Kanna was tiring finally, her blows poorly aimed and lacking their usual power. These had the kind of strength that logically suited a girl of her build.

She finally ran out of steam, collapsing into him to weak to stand unsupported.

"I'll…get…you…", she wheezed, clinging to his shirt feebly.

He snorted derisively while holding her with one arm to stop her collapsing, "You're not cute when you're angry".

The dark haired girl swallowed the wrong way as he spoke, blushing furiously even as she registered that he had been insulting, not complimenting her.

She managed to give him a semi-decent blow to the gut, smiling when he wheezed heavily, "…Jerk…".

"My, my, how very touching, the cute couple all lovey-dovey", Mizuki cooed as she reached the top of the stairs, laughing when Ryu moved away from Kanna so fast you'd think she had a contagious disease.

"Smooth Romeo", she said when she noted Kanna's hurt expression before it could vanish under a mask of anger.

"Whatever", he said coldly, folding his arms resolutely and walking over to where he had dropped his things.

"I guess I have to take that back, Romeo and Juliet you two aren't", she corrected herself dryly, a little miffed by Ryu's aloof attitude, Kanna adding a vocal approval.

"If we're talking Shakespeare, I believe 'Taming of the Shrew' would be more appropriate", Ryu muttered under his breath as he retrieved his things.

"Jerk!", Ryu blinked, how in the world has she just heard him?

Kanna stomped back toward the house, her belongings forgotten.

"Kanna!", he called after her, "Aren't you forgetting something?".

"You figure it out since you're so smart jerk!", she shouted back without turning around, slamming the door to the Hinata House behind her.

Ryu glared at the door. Did she seriously expect him to cart her things inside like some sort of bellboy?

"What?", he asked sharply when he saw Mizuki shaking her head sadly at him.

"Baka", she said before abandoning him to his appointed task, walking straight past Kei who still saw nothing going on around him.

Ryuuya felt his fist clench involuntarily. There were days he almost felt like giving up and going home.

"Kei!", he barked, drawing the other boy out of his stupor with a jerk. Kei looked around for a moment before noticing Ryu waiting near Kanna's things.

"She's already got you carrying her luggage for her?", Kei chuckled, his follow up comment dying on his lips when he saw Ryu's expression. It was quite the one from the hotel, but it was damn close.

"Erm…need some help?", he offered.

"You're too kind", Ryu hissed back, uttering dark curses on violent, ill-tempered women as he and Kei lugged Kanna's cases into the house.

Fortunately for him, Kei had the good sense not to find any of it funny.

Depositing the last of the things in the living area, Ryu refused outright to take them up to her room, the two young men sat down heavily on the sofas, the livelier of the pair glancing about his new surroundings with interest.

Kei was sort of disappointed. In his dreams he had seen the building being far more ornate, and they had been greeted by girls of great beauty and varying ages, clad only in a frilly cook's apron, but all happy to see "Ryu-sama" and his honoured guest.

Apart from Kanna and Mizuki he hadn't seen any other girls yet, and the place sounded deserted.

"Ryu…", he asked into the silence, "…ano…where are all the girl?"

"Don't tempt fate", his friend answered mysteriously, like an old fortuneteller warning of dark tidings ahead.

Kei wrinkled his brow. What could possibly be bad about being surrounded by beautiful girls twenty-four/seven? It just made no sense.

"Aw, all tired? Did you miss me? Onee-chan will make it all better".

Kei did a double take. Sitting in a perturbed looking Ryu's lap was one of the most gorgeous women he had ever seen! Tanned and exotic, she was clearly gaijin, but that hardly mattered in this day and age amongst his generation.

Even as part of his mind was trying to figure out when she had entered the living room, and just how she had gotten into Ryu's lap without either of them noticing, the rest of his brain was furiously memorising everything he could see, and from the way she dressed, it had its work cut out.

"Please Yui, not now", Ryu said, only belatedly realising how what he had just said could be interpreted by someone unfamiliar with the context in which it was made.

Indeed, the way Kei's eyes seemed to bulge in his head would indicate he had made completely the wrong assumption as Yui mock pouted and ran a finger under Ryu's jaw.

"Well did you at least bring me anything?", she asked, following Ryu's gaze to Kei and grinning in a way that had the other boy swallowing hard, "Is this it?".

She sauntered over to the memorised young man as Ryu felt the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Hi, I'm Yui", she purred, revealing in Kei's frozen expression as she leant over a little, watching him fight briefly to stop himself looking at the proffered view.

"Go take a cold shower or something Yui, please", Ryu said, his tone almost pleading.

"Sorry Ryu-kun, I have to have some fun somehow, and seen as you don't want to play…", she trailed off, turning back to Kei and narrowing her eyes.

Kei grinned like a man who has just seen heaven and lived to tell the tale…and then fainted.

"…eh?", Yui blinked slowly, looking at the unconscious boy on the sofa before her.

Behind her Ryu's headache was getting worse.

"Hey", she poked Kei a few times, sighing when he didn't respond, "Boys, you're all so dull around here".

Still complaining she left and Ryu could finally breath a little easier. True there was a good chance she'd be back later after Mizuki told her about his 'date' with Kanna, but for now all was well again.

He glanced over at Kei. He supposed he should at least try to wake the other boy up.

* * *

Fifteen minutes and several failed attempts later brought Ryu to the point where his headache was bugging him so much he honestly no longer cared if the other boy woke up. 

To make matters worse, he had the sneaking suspicion someone was watching him.

"Whoever it is come on out, I'm in no mood for games", he commanded, adding as an after thought, "Unless you're Yui…or Mizuki…or Kann- you know, on second thought stay where you are".

"Um, sempai…", he looked over at the timid source of the voice, relieved beyond words at who he found standing there. If there was one resident he could honestly say he wouldn't object to finding standing there at this moment, it was Ayu.

Even Chii would have been unwelcome at this point, her stoic nature putting even him ill at ease.

"What can I do for you Ayu?", he asked, gesturing her over while giving Kei another not so gentle nudge.

"I…I, um…", she was playing with her dress again he noticed, a curious, if somewhat amusing behaviour. Naturally Ryu had failed to notice that it only occurred around him.

"I…sempai…welcomehomesempaiImissedyou", she said in a great splurge of words it took him a while to figure out.

He chuckled a little at how breathless she had left herself trying to speak that fast.

"We were only gone a few days", he pointed out. She had no doubt said exactly the same thing to Kanna and Mizuki. Ayu it seemed, didn't have very many friends despite her unspoken popularity amongst the boys her own age and a good few older he knew having over heard a number of unsavoury conversations centred around his lunch breaks with her and Kanna.

"That's…yes…I know…I guess I was just being silly", she said shyly looking down at her feet.

_That's not what I meant_, she thought, _I wasn't talking about Kanna and Mizuki-sempai…_

He waved off her discomfort, giving Kei another jab that had about as much effect on his hormone induced stupor as all the others.

Namely; none what so ever.

"Who is this boy sempai? Is he a friend of yours?", Ayu asked, moving behind the couch so she could both observe the newcomer and stand as close to Ryu as she dared, the back of the sofa acting as a barrier in her mind to make her feel safer doing so.

"I…I guess so", Ryu admitted, not really sure if you could call someone you had known all of three days and met purely by chance a 'friend'.

"What happened?", she asked, slowly coming to realise this was probably the longest uninterrupted conversation she had had with him since…ever.

"Yui", Ryu said simply, not needing to expand upon his explanation further as Ayu offered the sleeping boy a look of sympathy.

"…Um…", Ryu could tell she wanted to ask another question, she always started with 'um' when she was building up the nerve to speak. Again he had failed to notice this tendency was only displayed around him.

If it were any of the others he might have dismissed them by now, but Ayu's questions were always earnest and usually worth the time to answer. Besides, his patience levels had been allowed to fall far enough since he began living here.

"Did you have fun…on your trip I mean".

Ryu thought back to his experiences in the Park, at the museums, and the Palace. His nightmares and personal demons that had surfaced…His 'date' with Kanna.

"It was…interesting", he admitted.

_I wonder…I wonder if sempai would ever go somewhere fun with me like that…_, Ayu thought, blushing a little as a number of fantasies involving a slightly bishi-fied Ryu ran through her mind.

"I'm glad", she said, mustering up the courage to smile at him directly, resting her arms on the back of the sofa and almost passing out when one corner of his mouth quirked up back at her in an instinctive half smile.

"Well, isn't this cosy"

Ryuuya glanced down, seeing Kei, his hands tucked behind his head, grinning up at them.

"How long have you been awake?", Ryu asked evenly as Ayu started a little and stepped back. For some reason the interruption bothered him. Most likely he surmised, because he rarely got the chance to have normal, quiet conversation with any of the girls.

Yui was more interested in practicing her seduction technique than talking, Mizuki was only slightly better, at least she could restrict herself to verbal flirtation unlike her 'teacher', Chii…well, no one except Yui could hold a conversation with Chii that had any meaning, and how she did that was still a mystery, and as for Kanna…well, most conversational guidelines don't include screaming and punching.

Though she had been pleasant enough company back at the amusement park…

"So, is she your…", Kei trailed off. Luckily, Ayu couldn't see him waving his pinky at Ryu from her new position.

"Eh? Naughty, naughty, what about Kan- _mprphhhhhh!_", he mumbled indignantly as he found Ryu's hands clasped securely over his mouth.

"Ayu-chan", Ryu said without taking his eyes off his struggling friend, "I think Kei would like some tea, it has been a tiring journey after all. Could you go make him some?".

"H-hai sempai!", she squeaked, a prize contestant for the world's first human tomato as she scurried off, almost tripping on her own feet in the process.

Ryu watched until she was out of sight before slowly removing his hand from his friend's face warily.

"Give me one reason to leave you unharmed", he said ominously.

Kei flashed him the victory sign and answered as if he had somehow missed that threat, "So it's 'Ayu-chan' now huh, awfully close with all these girls aren't you, you lucky dog you".

Ryuuya played back his words, only now focusing on the words he had used to motivate Ayu into action without complaint.

Perhaps it sounded bad the way Kei was voicing it, but she was younger than him, and in a lower grade so technically there was nothing inappropriate in referring to her thus.

"Lucky? Where you in the same room I was just now? And what about Kanna? I have to put up with that sort of thing everyday", he ground out, wondering why Kei was getting that hero worship expression again. Had this fool not been paying attention?

"You mean Yui-chan does that to you all the time?", Kei seemed close to tears.

"Yes", Ryu nodded sharply, thinking his friend was finally catching on.

What happened next was one of those things Ryu would never forget…no matter how hard he tried.

Kei was up in seconds…and on the floor before Ryu a moment later.

"I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!", he chanted to his bewildered companion, making exaggerated bows as he did so.

Ayu returned, curious as to what was going on as she carried three mugs of tea on a small tray, and utterly confused by what she found but to polite to let it show.

After standing unnoticed for a few minutes, she began to shift uncomfortably, "Ano…sempai…what, what is going on?"

"Perhaps you can tell me", he answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, his expression more one of suppressed pain than annoyance.

"Are you ok sempai?", she asked, carefully manoeuvring around Kei and placing the tea tray on the table, hovering uncertainly in front of him as she tried to figure out what to actually do next.

"I'm fine Ayu-chan", he seemed to jerk in place, as if something had shocked him, but Ayu was to busy blushing and trying to look anywhere but right at him to notice.

_Damn it_, Ryu thought as he realised what he'd done, knowing without looking that Kei was smirking at him.

"You look like you have a headache sempai, are you ill?", Ayu almost gasped as she thought about taking his temperature and helping nurse him back to health.

"I said I'm fine", he pink cloud dreams were torn aside cruelly by his suddenly strict and formal tone.

The shy girl suddenly panicked, wondering if she had done something to upset him, perhaps pried too much. Ryu was a very proud man after all.

"I'm sorry sempai", she said in a small voice, lowering her head so he wouldn't see the aqueous haze in her eyes, "I'm just bothering you, I'll go now".

She darted out of the room as fast as her small legs could carry her, and Ryu was left with a strangely hollow feeling in his gut as she vanished up the stairs.

"Mizuki-chan was right", Kei said, standing and dusting off his legs, "Romeo you certainly are not my friend".

Ryu didn't feel up to retorting, so he just offered a withering stare that he could feel loosing strength even as he made a brief stab at redoubling his efforts.

He kept seeing two scenes flashing through his head over and over again. Kanna stomping away from him at the front door, was overlaid curiously with Ayu's retreat from the room moments earlier.

A strange feeling was evoked by the two powerful images, but his sixteen years left him lacking to explain it.

To compound matters, the dull throbbing in his head was getting worse; the room seemed to sway for a second before returning to normal.

_No, not now_, this couldn't be happening now, there was no reason for it to happen…but then, there had been no reason last time.

"Yo stud", Yui's voice rang out like a piercing bell as she practically skipped down the stairs, the motion doing interesting things that instantly distracted Kei from his ailing friend.

Her happy mannerisms suggested she knew something that had amused her greatly, but Ryu was in no condition to banner with her. Staying upright and conscious seemed a lot harder to do all of a sudden than it usually did, and half of Yui's words were lost to the sudden roaring in his ears even as she spoke them.

Behind her, her cousin, Chii, followed at a more sedate pace, her hand lightly brushing the rail as she descended in the wake of the older, more boisterous woman.

She gave Kei a quizzical expression when he finally noticed there was someone other than Yui there, her small pigtails swaying adorably with the motion.

He mouthed something about "The whole damned set", as Yui struck a pose, hand over her heart as if preaching to a crowd, while she regaled him with his inability to keep anything from her watchful eyes, and chiding him for not telling her as soon as he came back.

It took a surprising level of effort to deduce she was referring to his date with Kanna, and she confirmed as much a few seconds later, listing off all the theories she had as to what had gone on, pressing him for details seen as the pictures wouldn't be done for a while yet, even with Chii developing them.

Ryu knew he should have been concerned when she mentioned pictures, but for some reason all he could focus on was the interesting patterns the light made as it refracted off the motes of dust and other minute impurities within the air.

"So how bout it, you going to tell Onee-chan all about it, or do I have to get…creative?", she asked in a suggestive tone.

Her face slowly changed to one of concern when he didn't respond, just continued to sway lightly on his feet.

"Help", Chii said, starting forward as Yui turned to ask her what she was talking about.

That was the last Ryu saw before the world seemed to list violently to one side and everything went black.

* * *

_The woods were always beautiful at this time of year. That's what he had thought as he wondered the grounds of his family home_. 

_He was alone, but that was ok. Mother and Father were nearby so it didn't matter all that much if there were no other children around most of the time._

_His cousins would visit occasionally and that was enough._

_Speaking of family, it had been many years since he had seen his Aunts. One of them had had a child out of wedlock apparently, and though his young mind didn't really understand how this affected her or his other Aunt, he knew it had something to do with the way they had hidden themselves away._

_He kicked a small pebble along as he wandered so lost in his own little world, that he almost didn't notice the other voices until he was on top of them._

"Come on! Don't be such a baby!"

_He snuck closer, peering carefully around the trees_.

"I…I don't think we should be here…I want to go back".

"There's nothing to do back there, besides, I'm here so nothing bad will happen to you", _the first voice replied, full of boastful pride._

_Curious, the young boy stepped out of concealment. The sun blinded him for a second, but he could make out just enough about the two children in front of him to discern they were roughly his age, five or six years old, and female, though for some reason the sun seemed to glare when he tried to look at their faces._

The smaller of the two let out a frightened squeal at his sudden appearance and hid behind the other.

"W-who are you", _the first girl demanded, trying to seem intimidating._

_He opened his mouth to reply, but let the words die stillborn on his tongue. They wouldn't know him even if he told them. Some of those close to his Mother and Father didn't even know who he was._

"Just…a forest spirit"_, he replied, thinking back on some of the tales his Father had told him as bedtime stories, _"And you are?".

_The smaller girl poked her head out from behind her companion shyly, looking as if she were about to answer, when the other girl interrupted_.

"If you're not going to tell us your name, we won't tell you ours", _she spoke with an air of finality._

_The boy smiled minutely at her defiance and shrugged. For some reason this seemed to make her angry but the younger one calmed her down._

_Before long they were walking together, playing as children of that age often do._

_It was here that things began to change, and the evidence that this was not something real, but a dream came to head._

_Their laughing stopped, gradually building up to twin screams of horror. He could only watch as they fled, confused and scared, wondering if what had frightened them would prey upon him now that they had abandoned him._

_Something wet splashed against the floor, dragging his reluctant gaze down, and giving him a full view of his garments and his hands._

_Both were drenched in a viscous crimson fluid._

_As he held shaking hands, somehow older but still small, up to his eyes a shadow fell over him. He spun to find a tall, hauntingly beautiful woman standing over him, her narrow eyes full of sorrow._

"Mother…What's going on? Where's Father?"_, she didn't answer, just continued to stare._

"Father…Father!",_ he called out desperately, but received no answer. Behind him, his Mother began to weep, _"FATHER!"

_The world turned black and all he could see was a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness…laughing at him_.

* * *

"Do you think he'll be ok?" That voice, where is it coming from, _Ryu's thoughts were sluggish, as though his__ brain were on strike._

"Sleep", a monotone voice advised, seeming to be directed at the first.

"I always knew I was a knockout, but this is ridiculous", a third voice interjected with a trace of humour, attempting to lighten the mood of the others.

"I don't think this is the time for jokes Yui-chan", a similar voice chastised.

"Ara, Ayu-chan told me something had happened", this voice seemed older than the rest, and slightly further away.

Why were all these voices do familiar to him?

"Has anyone told Ema about this?", the first voice asked.

"I saw sempai's friend talking to her on the way back", a quiet voice answered, sounding on the brink of tears, "…This is my fault _sniff_ . I saw sempai wasn't feeling well. I should have done something".

There were a number of sympathetic female noises mixed with the sniffling sounds as Ryu struggled to return to full wakefulness. The voices around him had started to take on meaning.

"It's ok Ayu-chan, the big jerk is to stubborn to accept help from anyone", that voice was definitely familiar.

"Your concern…is just…touching", he managed to get out, cracking open one eye and resisting the urge to scream when the light jammed into his eye socket with the subtly of a four by four hitting a brick wall.

"Sempai", Ayu wormed free of Natsuki's comforting embrace and ran over to him, squatting down next to him before suddenly freezing as if loosing the nerve to do what she had wanted to do next.

"There goes the neighbourhood, and just when we had a little peace at last", Kanna said. Her words were callous but no one missed the look of relief in her eyes, or the fact that she had been sitting by his side since Ayu had told her he'd passed out.

"What happened?", he asked, his memory a little groggy.

"You fainted", Kanna answered, seeming terribly amused by the concept now that he was awake again, "If I had know how delicate you were I wouldn't hit you so hard".

"Are you ok now sempai?", Ayu asked, edging a little closer so that she sat the same distance away from him as Kanna on the opposite side of the futon they had lain him in after she and Kei raised the alarm.

"You mean you'll hit like a girl from now on?", Ryu asked drolly.

"Ok", Chii intoned as Kanna went red with either anger or embarrassment.

"Jerk! I-er, we were worried about you", she yelled.

Yui smiled at the slip and opened her mouth only to close it at the look her cousin gave her and Mizuki.

Chii-chan was just such a killjoy sometimes.

"Yes…we were", Ayu agreed, looking down at her hands.

Yui cast Chii a pleading look, but her young cousin just shook her head slowly.

Reaching into the pocket of the oil stained dungarees she wore over a baggy blue t-shirt, Chii withdrew a small case. Opening it and extracting a number of small yellow pills, she walked over to Ryu's futon as Kanna and Ayu helped him sit up, the former grumbling about how heavy he was, while the latter seemed to be overheating.

"Medicine", she said, holding the pills out in front of him expectantly.

"…Thank you", he said after a moment when no one else spoke, taking the offered pills and popping one while Chii watched.

When he was done, a look of wonder briefly crossing his features as the remnant of the pain seemed to flee in an instant, the younger of the Su cousins nodded to herself and stood, leaving the room without another word.

"Chii-chan is a little…strange, isn't she", Kanna observed, rubbing the back of her head.

"You have no idea", Yui said with a fond smile at her cousin's departing form.

"Is everything alright in here?", Ema asked, her bespectacled face poking around the door and startling Yui for a moment.

"I heard something had happened to Ryu-kun, but his friend didn't give me the specifics", she walked into the room, giving him a quick glance over, "Well, you seem fine now I guess".

"Where is Kei?", he asked, shrugging aside her concern. He had a bad feeling about the idea of his friend wandering around an all girls dorm unsupervised.

"Oh, he went to pick out a room", silence descended.

"…Could you repeat that", Ryu requested, "I think I may have hit my head on the way down, it sounds like you just implied Kei would be staying here".

"Yes. He asked about staying for a few days to help look after you", Ema wiped at a tear, "I was so moved by the loyalty and friendship he displayed that I agreed".

Ryu sighed and hung his head. At this rate he was going to need more than Chii's pills to help with his headache.

"Somehow I doubt concern for me was at the forefront of his mind", Ryu muttered, all to aware of the looks Mizuki and Yui were giving each other, and the devious manner in which they rubbed their hands together.

"Double the fun", Mizuki said with a wicked grin, Yui echoing the sentiment.

"What…The…Hell", Kanna punched the floor so hard the light fixtures shook, "Will someone explain to me why we now have not one, but two perverts living here".

"It's only for a few days", Ema said gently, recognising Kanna's mood, "Just until Ryu-kun gets better…unless you'd rather take care of him all by yourself?".

Kanna's following impression of Ayu displayed a masterful aptitude for the performing arts, and had Yui saluting the manager, though Ema didn't know why.

"I…him…that…", she shook her head forcefully, prising her fingers apart, "No way!".

"Good, then I'll go see if Kei has found a room he likes", Ema said with a happy smile, turning on her heel as Kanna hung her head in defeat.

"You know, I just thought of something", Yui said, leaning back against the wall with her hands behind her head, "If he's going to be here for a few days, that makes one more helper for the festival".

Kanna seemed to perk up for a moment and Ayu nodded.

"That's true I guess", she already sounded happier.

Even though he was half convinced he didn't want to know, Ryu had to ask.

"Festival?".

* * *

As it turned out, the festival they had been referring to was something exclusive after a fashion, to the Hinata Sou. 

The Cherry Blossom Festival was celebrated by all the residents every year, and was a small, informal gathering involving a lot of food, merry making, and amongst the older members, one hell of a lot of drinking.

Yui and the others explained to him that the celebration should have taken place earlier, but a number of unfortunate delays, the last of which had been his arrival and the subsequent upheaval that had caused, had delayed things.

As it was they had scheduled it for the day following his return and that day saw a flurry of organisation and preparation that, due to the effects of Chii's pills, meant he was pressed into service to assist.

The shear quantity of food involved alone was unbelievable, but having seen the Molmolian relatives eat, he had no doubts that none of it would go to waste.

The site of the party was a small clearing in amongst one of the larger groves of trees, a large cauldron like pot set over a raging fire in the centre as Ayu and Chii prepared and mixed the ingredients he and the girls brought out.

Kei was helping Ema set up the decorations around the clearing, while Yui and Natsuki were hauling crates of booze up from the teahouse.

He stood back and stretched after the last of the things had been brought, watching as the girls began to lay everything that could readily be set out, atop a series of collapsible tables.

"_Phew_, hard work but this is so very much worth it", Kei said, jogging over to his friend's side, "A real live party with all these lovely ladies".

Ryu rolled his eyes and snorted, crossing his arms, "Whatever".

He let his eyes move across the clearing, taking in all the residents.

Yui and Natsuki both dressed in their regular clothes, were already drinking and laughing, with Mizuki next to them in a outfit similar to Yui's except having exchanged the skirt for a pair of trousers, pouting when as Yui teased her, saying she was too young to join them in 'toast'.

Ema was picking cherry blossoms out of her hair, having fallen of the ladder she was standing on while hanging the decorations.

Ayu in a pale lilac summer dress, was chatting happily to Chii as she stirred the contents of the oversized pot, seemingly unaware that the young gaijin was focused solely upon the food within.

Finally he found Kanna, dressed in the same outfit she had been wearing the day he had first come here, meandering about the grove, lost in thought.

She spotted him and frowned for a moment before walking over.

"I think I'm going to see about getting something to drink before Natsuki and Yui swallow it all", Kei said, patting his friend on the back and straightening his clothes as he made his way over to the two women.

"Hey", Kanna said, stopping in front of him.

"Hey", he responded in turn, returning his gaze to the rest of the revellers as she moved to stand by his side.

"…Are you…feeling any better?", she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, Chii's pills seemed to be working, I suppose I should find a way to thank her for that", he observed, unsure as to why she suddenly wanted to make small talk.

"I don't know if you'll have to, Chii-chan never seems bothered whether she gets praised or not, as long as whatever she makes works she's happy", Kanna held her arms gently behind her back.

"…I brought all your homework back", Kanna ventured when the silence between them began to stretch.

"Thanks", he said for lack of anything better.

"You know Ayu-chan missed you at lunch today", she said looking at him again.

"I've only been gone a day", he pointed out.

Kanna laughed, "True, but I think it feels longer to her, especially so soon after we went on that trip…Must have been lonely for her after she got so used to us all being together".

"I suppose".

"At least try to pretend you have feelings like a normal human being…jerk", Ryu smirked at her as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Over buy the fire, Ayu watched as Ryu and Kanna chatted, laughing and smiling together, her own face falling a little further each time.

"Ayu", Chii's voice snapped her out of her depressed trance, forcing her to focus on her young cooking partner once more.

"I'm sorry Chii-chan, I was just thinking", she said, affecting what she hoped looked like a genuine smile.

"Food", Chii pointed at the dangerously bubbling stew that Ayu had forgotten to keep stirring.

"_Eek_", Ayu began stirring frantically, hoping that nothing had burned during her lapse in concentration.

When she looked up again, Ryu and Kanna had moved to join the rest of the group, the former struggling with a semi-drunken Yui, while Kanna, Mizuki and Natsuki laughed at him, Natsuki's giggles the loudest of them all.

Meanwhile Kei was sitting next to Ema, bombarding the poor woman with questions she tried her best to answer.

Ayu bit her lip. She had heard from Ema that this night had a special connotation for couples at the Hinata Sou, and could act as the turning point in a relationship.

Ayu had dreamed that such a thing would happen for her, but the older woman had never specified who the couple had to be after all, and Ryu was getting a lot of attention from all of the girls at the moment.

Sighing to herself Ayu returned to her task.

Perhaps there would be another night…

* * *

After the meal, things were in full swing. Those that could be were well on their way to being drunk, and those that couldn't had snuck at least a small amount of alcohol from their intoxicated peers. All except Ayu and Ryu that was, the former because she feared what she might start spouting if she had to much and got drunk, and the latter for reasons he refused to share. 

Kei was embroiled in a drinking match against Yui and Natsuki, having somewhere along the line gotten it into his head that seen as how drinking was supposed to lower inhibitions…

Of course he barely remembered that plan now, and seen as how he was facing two of the greatest drinkers since Mitsune Konno, the legendary "Fox with the Iron Liver", he had never stood a chance to start with, even with the head start they both had on him.

Even Chii had had a small sip at her cousin's insistence, bringing out a bright red flush on both her cheeks that a chuckling Ema had said made her look exactly like her mother.

"Ok!", Yui exclaimed happily, Natsuki clapping as she stood shakily, Kei slumped face first on the floor in front of the two older women snoring loudly, "I win, so that means it's finally time for the special entertainment for this evening!"

Everyone except Ayu, Ryu and Chii cheered, even though they had no idea what she was talking about.

"With the help of my lovely assistant", she said as Mizuki stood, taking a bow, "I will now reveal the source of our event".

Mizuki handed Yui an envelope as the blond smiled knowingly at Ryu. Taking the package she opened it up and extracted something from within.

"Ladies and Gentlemen", Kei snorted in his sleep, "I give you…The big Date of our favourite couple, Kanna and Ryu!".

Ryu went shock straight, his action mimicked by both Ayu and Kanna, the dark haired girl's blush hidden by the effects of the alcohol.

"Yay", Ema clapped along with Natsuki as Yui began handing out the pictures.

_How did she…_, Ryu found himself wondering once more as he watched the images of him and Kanna wondering around the Tokyo Dome Amusement Park change hands.

"Kanna and…sempai…on at date", Ayu's eyes were tearing as her shaking hands held the picture Mizuki had captured of Kanna in Ryu's lap on the Ferris Wheel while she had been hidden on the booth next to them.

It felt as if there was an icy vice squeezing her heart slowly.

"It's not what you think", Ryu spoke up, Ayu looking up hopefully even though he was talking to Yui not her, pushing down the part of her that just wanted to run away and cry.

"That wasn't a date", he glared when Yui just smiled at him, "It wasn't… Kanna?".

"…No…it wasn't", Kanna said, not looking at him as she spoke, her words oddly subdued.

Ayu felt a little guilty for being so relieved, and she moved to sit next to her friend, taking her hand sympathetically, so that she wouldn't have to think on why Kanna had hesitated before answering.

"Ok then, that was a bigger downer than it ever should have been", Yui said, feeling awkward and guilty about the sullen silence and tense atmosphere that had suddenly descended upon the gathering where laughter had prevailed only moments earlier, "How about we move right along to the next event? Anyone have a story for this year, or shall I go first again?".

Yui sweat-dropped when no one answered.

"Damn, tough crowd", she muttered, drawing herself up to her full height as if she could stick her head above the sudden cloud of gloom that way, "Ok, this year I think I'll do something close to home…let me see, no use talking about the abandoned annex, that thing was knocked down years ago… I got it! The Legend of the Turtle Cave".

Yui's loud and happy voice, and her natural talent for performing seemed to be drawing the group out of their solitude and she mentally congratulated herself as all eyes, whose that were awake and capable at least, turned in her direction.

"Yes the Turtle Cave", she said leaping into the centre of the group and taking up a cross-legged position, "Somewhere in this area, there was once found the ruins of an ancient Turtle Civilization by a great archaeologist and his apprentice".

She winked at Chii; they both knew where this story had come from.

"The man and his apprentice had scoured many lands hoping for the slightest hint of the location of such a place, but each time found nothing but old pots, or a few garbled scriptures. Even when they did finally find evidence, it was nothing that didn't tell them what they already knew from the start. Imagine their surprise when they found a cave that not only told of the origins of the Turtle Civilisation, but also was the home of the great Guardian of all Turtle kind", Yui loved the attention her narrative was receiving as she embellished it with fanciful hand gestures, her voice rich and grand.

Oddly enough, Ryu of all people seemed deeply intrigued by her story, but Yui just took that as evidence of her amazing talent and carried on.

She continued her tale, detailing how the two men had disturbed the Guardian and incurred its wrath, only escaping with the help of a number of 'Holy Maidens' who happened to be passing by, "…and that Cave my friends, is the very cave that lies at the base of this hill, behind the Hinata Sou".

She smiled darkly as she noticed Ayu trembling after the story, unable to resist adding what she did next as she noticed she still held everyone's attention.

"To this day the Guardian still waits in that Cave, planning his revenge on the two men, and the Maidens, and for a peaceful night like tonight, on which to exact it".

Ayu squeaked as Yui looked straight at her, the firelight in the dim daylight dancing evilly across her exotic features, seeming to make her emerald eyes glow.

The others took it in turns telling stories, though none could top Yui much to her satisfaction, and Ryu outright refused to play along which started another argument between him and Kanna that Ayu had to defuse.

Whether it had been because of all the wonderful food, the drink, or just the extent of which the celebrations stretched into the night, one by one, the group eventually succumbed to the warm embrace of the fire and the pleasant night air, drifting into peaceful slumbers.

* * *

Ryu checked the sleeping partiers one last time, not risking moving until he was sure they were asleep. 

Yui's story had caught his attention.

If there was even a modicum of truth to it, then such a place would be considered a holy sanctuary. The perfect kind of place in which to secure the _Sword of Two Souls_.

The day had grown long and night had fallen, but luckily due to past experiences the group had brought along a number of torches and it was the work of a few minutes to find one and quietly make his way out of the grove.

He briefly thought of leaving some sort of note explaining his absence, but if he found what he was looking for, he would be long gone before any of them woke up.

* * *

Ayu awoke with a start, unsure what had woken her but very much awake regardless. 

Her sleepy eyes passed over all the figures slumped around the dwindling fire for warmth, and she was about to lay her head back down when she noticed something, or rather, someone, was missing.

"Sempai?"

* * *

---Author's notes--- 

There you have it, the full, edited, version of this chapter, with all the goodness that implies. Coming next: Chapter 7: The Cave; Searching for something, will you always find what you seek? Some feelings are better expressed under cover of darkness. The Guardian awakens.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	8. Chapter 7: The Cave

Chapter Seven: The Cave

There was once an ancient Greek Philosopher, born in the great city-state of Athens, who likened the life of man to time spent shackled since birth inside a cave.

He proposed that man only knew but a pale shadow of what was real, as he spent al his days in darkness, never leaving his prison, and thus unable to comprehend life outside.

However, should this man ever escape, what wonders would he find, and how would he cope upon returning?

Ryu smirked sardonically at the idea of comparing himself to the philosophical mind of which the 'free man' was an abstract. He was intelligent, but dwelling on the meaning of life was far too troublesome for one such as he.

Still, with a keen wit and a thorough upbringing, he had the knowledge, and his mind was seeking to distract itself from the anxiety he felt about the task ahead.

Who he, Ryu mused, bring the light of truth to the darkness, or would his poorly adapted eyes leave him stumbling in shadow?

The blond haired boy shivered a little though the night air was far from cold. He had a…dislike, of dark, confined places, ever since the end of his tenth year. Though the evens leading to that fear were another nightmare altogether.

His torch cut swaths through the inky night, illuminating a small path that led amongst the thinning foliage and into the maw of a small, but ominous looking cave.

He didn't relish going inside, but if the sword were truly in there, then it would be one less nightmare to plague his rest.

He cleared the last of the obstacles, brushing a few stray twigs and leaves that had taken residence in his spiky mane as if some passing bird had anointed him the perfect nesting spot, and coming to a halt at the mouth of the cave.

He scanned the light over the interior briefly, seeing nothing more threatening than the occasional low hanging stalagmite. Not even any bats or other such nocturnal creatures, which was less comforting than it would be to someone city raised.

Animals should have flocked to this spot as an ideal shelter, and its state of abandonment didn't bode well for whatever was awaiting him inside.

Though he didn't truly believe even half of Yui's tale, a wise man had once told him never to take lightly either gods or demons, and he had been proved right in the past, so now was not the time to ignore such sage advise.

Clapping his hands together three times, Ryu uttered a swift prayer to the Kami that resided within the cave, hoping such a display might hold back any creature that lurked within the shadows long enough for him to take a quick look around and leave.

He tried to move only to find his feet wouldn't obey his commands.

At first paranoid thoughts of vengeful Guardians come to life danced through his mind until he squashed them. This had nothing to do with spirits he knew, his jaw clenching as the full force of his disgust washed over him in wake of the fear nibbling at his innards, enabling locked limbs some freedom of movement once more.

He stared defiantly into the cave, as if daring the darkness to question his resolve, forcing one foot in front of the other, all the while trying not to let his eyes leave the safe path the torch cast, lest he catch sight of the reason he hated the shadows.

A pair of glowing red eyes.

He was sweating by the time he crossed the threshold, his breaths begging to be allowed to come in short, shallow gasps rather than their regular, even pattern.

The heart crushing terror fled into a pulsing fear at the back of his mind as soon as he was inside, his brain registering that he was within the darkness with no intention of leaving and taking up damage control.

He refused to allow himself to feel pride at accomplishing something even a child should have been able to do, focusing instead on his objective.

The tunnel he was currently in was completely plain, all of it natural, undisturbed rock. There were no signs of ancient ruins of Turtle Gods, but it was far to early to discount this place yet.

Yui had claimed the men from her story were renowned archaeologists. Surely they wouldn't have missed this place if it were obvious there was something here.

No, he would have to look much further if he hoped to find anything.

Ryu followed the winding tunnel for a number of minutes, his discomfort slowly easing the long he spent inside the cave.

He knew this was not a conquering of fear, but merely a shutdown of his fear response to prevent damage to the sympathetic nervous system, just has his analysing the process was in itself another form of defence put in place by his mind.

He paused as the tunnel branched up ahead, scowling at the uncooperative terrain.

_What did I expect_, he chided himself, schooling his thoughts to patience, _Sword of unbelievable mystic strength thirty meters to the left?_

Taking a cue from his own inner sarcasm he picked the left hand tunnel, praying that his sense of direction carried with him underground as he walked.

Perhaps he should have gone back to the Hinata House first and retrieved the case?

Ryu mulled it over as he walked, his eyes swinging left and right in time with the torch, alert for anything that might hint at human tampering.

No, the contents would not be required for this. Yui's story had been just that after all, there was no need to panic or berate his decisions.

Besides, if he had gone back first there was always the possibility the others might have awoken as he tried to slip back out toward his target.

One young man poking around in the dark in a supposedly haunted cave could be passed off as an act of foolish bravado, or over play machismo, but the same young man carting around a heavy looking guitar case in the same circumstances would raise questions, even in a place like the Hinata Sou.

Ryu resolved not to think on it again. Dwelling on what you had done wrong was a pointless exercise…even if it was the very reason he was here in the first place.

The blue eyed boy pivoted sharply as something scraped against the rocks behind him.

His torch quested out, its beam cutting aside the darkness, but revealing only old stone, and his own footprints on the dusty ground.

The fear he had ignored previously was back with a vengeance, clawing at his mind, trying to arrest control of his functions and urge him to flee, but he managed to fight it back long enough to assess the situation logically, impassively.

Loosing his calm in a place like this and giving in to his emotions would be bad for a number of reasons.

The noise had probably been his imagination, fuelled by his desire to find a reason to leave and nothing more, or perhaps he had been mistaken and there were a number of creatures living within the cave.

Either way, fleeing like a coward would be foolish and counterproductive.

Ensuring his resolve was firm once more, Ryu resumed his trek, though as a concession, he did cast the occasional random glance in the direction he had come from.

If nothing else, perhaps he spot a clue of some sort he had missed in his first inspection of the area, and it would also allow him to memorise the look of the tunnels from the opposite direction, which would help when it came time to double back and check the second passage if that became necessary.

He had travelled for an unknown amount of time when he heard it again, the sound of something scraping across rock.

One more a hurried inspection revealed nothing, as if the very cave itself were mocking him.

The muscles in his jaw wound tight as he glared back into the tunnel.

Resuming his journey he had not gone more than a few steps before he heard it again, but this time he didn't turn.

Though leaving an enemy at your back is a foolhardy thing to do, playing by your opponent's rules is an equally stupid track to take.

He slightly closed his eyes, reducing the amount of information coming in through his visual senses to enable him to hear everything around him more effectively.

He could hear it perfectly now, the soft _scrap scrap_, where before he had only heard when whoever or whatever was following in hit a small outcropping as they stalked him.

What he couldn't figure out was why. Neither, why he was being followed in the first place, or by whom, but also, why his assailant was being so noisy and clumsy about it.

Were they perhaps inexperienced in what they were attempting, or just so sure that he posed no threat they didn't care to conceal their presence.

The young man clenched his free hand angrily.

He was not one to be toyed with, no matter the person.

As he listened further, he failed to distinguish any more useful information from the footfalls following him.

The acoustic set-up of the tunnels meant that his 'shadow' could have been any conceivable size or shape, and though his movements seemed clumsy at the moment, that didn't mean anything in a fight.

Ryu had seen people change in an instant in the heat of conflict, as if a switch had been thrown and a new person, with their own sense of poise and balance had stepped in, the only resemblance to the previous person being in that they happened to look alike.

Another shuffle.

Maybe they couldn't see where they were going. That thought stuck him as preposterous at first. Who would attempt to tail someone if they couldn't see?

No, that wasn't right in this case. They didn't need a light of their own, did they. That would just give them away even faster.

Ryu glanced down at the torch resting in his hand.

All anyone following needed to do was stick close enough to make out the light he held and they could navigate with a reasonable amount of confidence as long as they maintained a careful distance between him and themselves.

Of course such a plan also had a number of flaws, one of which he had been experiencing for the past several minutes.

Ryu cast his gaze ahead, seeking a way to make use of this new information.

Up ahead, the tunnel split once more into two different passages branching away from each other.

_Perfect_, Ryu thought, an almost feral look of satisfaction crossing his face for a moment.

It was about time this little game of theirs came to a head.

Picking up the pace, Ryu jogged toward the left hand tunnel, listening as the footsteps behind him hesitated for a moment before reluctantly matching his new speed.

He estimated the gap between the two branches as best he could.

The blond stooped as he ran, lowering the torch to the ground and dropping it so that it faced into the left most tunnel.

Spinning sharply on the ball of his right foot, Ryu prayed he hadn't gotten the size of the gap wrong. Face-planting into solid stone and knocking himself out wouldn't aid him in the slightest, and depending upon the intentions of the one following him, he just might be making their job easier.

He bit back a curse as his right wrist impacted soundly with the wall as he sailed smoothly into the opposing tunnel, crouching low so as he was out of the glare of the torch in the other passage and settling in to wait as he kneaded his throbbing joint.

He didn't have long to wait.

Even as he had finished making himself comfortable, adjusting him position for maximum view while compromising his hideout as little as possible, a shadowy figure came skulking around the bend, heading straight for the light, seemingly without a second thought.

Ryu frowned in the dark.

Just who was this person? How had they managed to follow him so far without him noticing before hand, even in his current state, when they showed such a lack of skill and grace?

Even as he watched, the shadow stumbled a little, making the same noise he had been hearing for the last several minutes.

Tensing he watched as they stole up to the light, the backwash of the beam only enough for him to make out their height and general build.

His would be stalker was smaller than he, and finely built, not much in the way of an opponent unless they were hiding their true skills extremely well.

If this truly was the lair of some god or other, perhaps this was an acolyte. According to Yui this place should be fairly well known of now if any of her story had been true, and all sacred places attracted followers at some point.

It could be that this worshiper feared he was here to desecrate their holy ground and was following him to prevent such a thing.

Ryu's eyes narrowed as he watched them ease closer to the tunnel he had discarded his torch in.

Or perhaps this person was some sort of custodian left to watch over the Sword.

If that were true he would have to move quickly and capture them in case there were others.

Nothing could be allowed to stop him.

Moving swiftly out of his crouch as they moved into the tunnel, he slunk forward, rounding the corner like a viper, his fist drawn back and ready to strike as his other hand darted forward.

* * *

"Oi", Kanna groaned as something dug into her side, one hand swatting at the source of the noise that accompanied the prodding. 

"Oi, get up", it called again, her hand encountering only air.

"No, sleep", she mumbled stubbornly, putting her hands over her head and willing the annoying moving alarm clock to go away.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to play", the alarm clock sounded positively evil as it said that, but what could it possibly do?

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee!", Kanna screamed as a set of fingers ran up her sides, lightly skirting the outer curve of her breasts. Her eyes now wide open as she fought off the perverted alarm clock that was molesting her in her sleep.

She would have to remember to talk to Chii about letting Yui play around with her designs.

When sleep released its hold on her, she realised that she wasn't looking at an alarm clock, but a devilishly grinning Yui.

"Awake now sleeping beauty?", the tanned woman asked playfully as Kanna blushed, trying to ignore Mizuki's peels of laughter, and Natsuki's innocently phrased but embarrassing comments.

"What do you want?", she asked grumpily, sitting up when Yui stepped back to give her room, yawning widely, her hands absently racking her hair back into order.

"We're going back in now", Ema explained as she doused the last of the fire's embers, "Yui suggested leaving you out here as you'd probably sleep through the night without any trouble anyway".

Kanna gave her friend the stink-eye, to which the older woman just grinned.

"When I vetoed that, she volunteered to wake you up…sorry about that", Ema rubbed the back of her head sheepishly in apology.

"Fine, fine", she groused, yawning once more and standing, wincing at the pins and needles sensation that shot through her left leg as she did so.

As she followed the others, she noticed something, or rather someone, was amiss. In fact, two such persons were absent.

"Were are Ayu-chan and Ryu?", she asked, looking around again in case she had just missed them the first time.

"We think they went on ahead of us", Natsuki said, one finger on her chin.

"Oh", Kanna said, a sinking feeling developing in her gut, like she'd just been sucker punched, though she couldn't explain why, "Wait, what do you mean, 'we think'?"

"Well…we don't really know for sure", Ema confessed, unsure how her most volatile resident would react.

"They were gone when we woke up", Yui chimed in cheerfully, her expression leaving no doubt as to what the Molmolian woman believed they were both up to that required them to sneak away from their friends in the dead of night.

Kanna was having similar thoughts, and each image brought with it a fresh wave of anger at the resident pervert, and something…else, that she couldn't identify.

"That good for nothing", Mizuki and Yui smiled at each other as Kanna began to build steam, her pace increasing with every word, forcing the other girls to begin jogging to keep up, "low down, lecherous, perverted, amoral…".

The list went on until they reached the dorm, ending with a resounding, "JERK!", as she slammed the front door aside, as if she were calling him down from wherever he may be.

"Ryu!", she called, stomping into the living area like a bull in a china shop, her figurative tail swishing angrily, "Ayu-chan! Where are you! If you can call out to me and we'll come save you!".

"She certainly has quite the imagination, doesn't she?", Ema whispered with a weak smile as Kanna began searching the rooms of the ground floor one by one.

"This is nothing", Mizuki replied with a Yui-esk smile, "You should see her at school when Ryu and Ayu-chan go to lunch without waiting for her first".

Further discussion was halted when Kanna came storming back into where the other residents were still assembled.

"What are you all standing there for! Come on, we need to find them, who knows what he could be doing to poor little Ayu!", Kanna smacked her hands together for emphasis.

"Jealous", Mizuki whispered behind her hand to Yui as Kanna began barking search orders, arranging them into groups and giving them each a floor.

"Jealous", Yui agreed, keeping her face carefully neutral as Kanna marched past them.

_The fun just never ends with those two_, Yui thought with an internal smirk, _Now I wonder what you've gotten yourself into this time Ryu-kun_.

* * *

Ayu had awoke to find Ryu missing. 

At first she had panicked a little, but had calmed herself, assuming he had just gone to use the bathroom and would be back momentarily.

As she had made t lye down again she had seen a torch snap on in the distance and sat up again, expecting to see Ryu returning to camp, and wanting to take advantage of this quiet moment to talk to him.

About what exactly she had no idea, but this was a perfect chance to talk alone, well, more or less, and she wasn't about to waste it, even if her heart was going a mile a minute just thinking about it.

There was also the issue of his 'date' with Kanna. Both parties had claimed it was nothing of the sort, but they hadn't offered an alternate explanation either, and that left her somewhat…unsettled.

She liked Ryu more than she had ever liked another boy before, even if she hadn't known him that long, but she wasn't the kind of person to step on another person's toes so to speak.

If there was anything going on between him and Kanna, she needed to know so that she could leave them be, no matter now much that would hurt.

However something was wrong.

Ryu's light was heading away from the clearing not toward it.

Where could he be going? That wasn't the way back to the house at all.

Ayu was on her feet before she remembered standing, dithering by the dimming firelight for a moment as she debated over following him herself, or waking one of the others to go with her.

Realising that if she woke someone else, all her chances to talk to him alone would go flying out the window, Ayu made a snap decision.

Balling up her small fists as if the act would lend her courage, something she had learned to do a long time ago without ever noticing when she started doing it, she took off into the night.

It was hard catching up to the bobbing light in the distance that comprised Ryu, but she eventually made her way closer after a few bumps and falls, holding back tears of frustration when her dress got caught a number of times.

When she staggered into an area where the trees began to thin, she did so just in time to witness something rather odd.

Standing outside an old cave, Ryu appeared to be praying, though there were no shrines, or holy markings visible that she could see from this angle.

His hands held like that, and his face even more serious than normal if that were possible, he looked nobler than ever, and she drifted into a half dream, almost missing it when he broke his meditation and walked into the entrance with slow, measured steps.

Ayu realised that if she wasn't quick he would be long gone by the time she got there, so she scrambled out of her hiding place and ran down to the cave, pausing momentarily as the darkness of the cavern seemed to loom outward menacingly.

Swallowing heavily she couldn't help but wonder what in the world Ryu was doing in such a place.

Timidly, she took a step inside, each one getting a little easier as she progressed, even as it brought with in a moment of spine tingling anxiety.

Spotting the light ahead, Ayu picked up the pace. The sooner she was by Ryu's side the safer she would feel.

As she drew nearer, the blue haired girl found herself slowing.

Ryu had been praying outside hadn't he? What if this place was some sort of shrine? She didn't know much about his family, none of them did. What if he had family buried in here somewhere, or perhaps he secretly a priest, and there was a temple concealed within this system of tunnels.

Ayu recognised that thought as silly. It was like the plot from one of the manga she secretly read and collected, but it would explain a lot about Ryu's unbending nature and inner discipline.

Deciding that rushing ahead without knowing what was going on would be foolish of her, Ayu hung back a little, keeping just close enough to see his torch, but hopefully not close enough to be spotted herself.

She followed him like that for a number of minutes as he progressed deeper into the cave network, no sure if he knew where he was going, or if he was just taking a random route, and equally unable to explain why he would be doing so if that were the case.

Disaster almost struck when she stubbed her toe on a rocky outcropping.

She managed not to cry out, but Ryu heard her anyway, and she was barely able to duck behind a large boulder in time as his light swept past.

Once she was sure it was save, she peeked out, clambering to her feet awkwardly and hurrying after the dwindling light.

She made the same mistake a number of times, fortune smiling on her and providing her with ample hiding places each time.

Until the last time.

Her breath caught in her throat as she hit something in the dark once again and found nowhere to hide. She closed her eyes, waiting for Ryu to spin around and demand to know what she was doing following him like this.

That moment never came.

When she got up the courage to open her eyes he was hurrying down the passage and she began to sprint after him even as her confusion surfaced.

When she lost track of him for a moment, Ayu feared she would be left lost and alone in these caves forever, unable to navigate her own path, and deeply regretting not having the forethought to grab a torch for herself before taking off after the object of her affections.

Luckily it appeared he'd stopped somewhere up ahead, at a new intersection, perhaps to examine whatever he'd come here to find.

Slowing, Ayu waited for him to move on.

When it didn't appear as if he planned to move from that spot for a while she came to a decision. She didn't really want to risk getting lost in the dark again if she could help it.

Besides, sneaking around like this wasn't something she was cut out for, and it was kind of childish.

Even if he was mad at her for following him, she would be happier accepting his wrath than stumbling around in the dark for the rest of her days.

She managed to hit something again as she walked over to the new tunnel, but it didn't matter this time, she was more focused on the light…the light which appeared to be coming from the floor.

Ayu paused again.

Why would Ryu put his torch on the floor?

Feeling anxious once more she edged cautiously closer, peering into the passage and finding only the torch. No sign of its owner however.

Suddenly she remembered Yui's tale about the Turtle God. She had been trying not to listen as she didn't really like scary stories, but it was hard not to when Yui was the one doing the talking. She held an uncanny knack for entrancing people with her words the way she often did men with her looks.

In particular, Ayu remembered the part about the vengeful Guardian, who would seek out those who had defied it before on nights just like this one.

She was trembling as she stepped into the tunnel, looking at the torch as if it might jump up and bite her at any moment.

What if the Guardian had mistake Ryuuya for one of the men from before and taken him?

Her eyes widened, her hands coming up and clasping together in front of her throat.

What if it decided she was one of the 'Holy Maidens' from the story in disguise and came after her as well?

The was a whisper of movement behind her and something grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around viscously.

Ayu closed her eyes and screamed.

"What the…Ayu?"

When she realised that she wasn't being devoured by an angry turtle deity, and that she recognised the voice talking to her, Ayu carefully cracked open one eye then the other, immensely relieved at who she found looking down at her with equal parts confusion and annoyance.

"Y-yes, sempai?", she asked, unable to stop shaking, but not from fear. Ryu still hadn't taken his hand off her shoulder, and he was still staring at her.

"What are you doing here?", he asked, removing his hand and folding his arms, "Are you the one who's been following me?"

"Ano…um…I…", she suddenly felt as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have and began playing with her fingers nervously.

He waited for an answer, sighing when it became apparent one wasn't forthcoming.

"You shouldn't be wandering around places like this at night", he warned her, "It's dangerous".

"I know semapi", she said in a small voice, mustering the strength to look him square in the chest, "But…what are _you_ doing here then?".

Ryu sighed again but she didn't know why.

"Yui's story piqued my interest so I thought I'd check it out for myself", that was the truth, just not all of it; though Ryu was surprised he had answered that question at all.

"Oh…", she was quiet for a moment.

"I think it would be best if you go back home Ayu", he couldn't see her face as she had lowered her head so that her bangs hid it, "It's not safe for you here".

Ayu was fighting the urge to cry. He was dismissing her just like that. He hadn't even asked why she had followed him, or if she wanted to help him.

She couldn't help but wonder; would he have done the same if she was Kanna?

"I don't have a torch", she found herself saying in an uncharacteristic burst of stubbornness, still unable or unwilling to meet his gaze.

Ryu rubbed the back of his head softly, trying to control his irritation at having his search interrupted.

There was nothing he could do about her being here unless he took her back himself, and that would waste valuable time.

"Fine, come on then", he said, stooping to retrieve the torch and starting off down the passage, "I want to finish up here before I do anything else, and I suppose two heads are better than one".

Ayu looked up in disbelief.

He wasn't going to escort her back to the entrance, or try to get rid of her.

A smile blossomed across her pretty face as she hurried to catch up to him, falling in silently beside him.

Whatever else may happen from this point on, this was one of the happiest moments of her young life.

* * *

This was one of the worst moments of her life. 

They had searched the house top to bottom and come up dry. No sign of Ayu, and no sign of the deviant who had taken her.

Kanna was currently personally researching the first floor in hopes of finding something the others had missed, some clue or piece of evidence that would help them in their quest.

All of which had led her to her current location.

Kanna swallowed thickly as she drew near to the door to Ryu's door, the simple paper panelling seeming suddenly sinister, like a tiger cage with a faulty lock.

Griping the handle she froze.

There had been the sound of shuffling feet coming from inside, and she was sure a shadow had passed by. There was someone in there. If it was Ryu this could be her only chance.

The dark haired girl tugged lightly on the handle, applying more force and grunting with excursion when it refused to budge.

Locked.

He had locked himself in, and if Ayu was in there as well…

Kanna wouldn't allow herself to complete that thought. Winding back she lashed out with her foot.

The door seemed to bend for a moment, as if made of rubber, like it would simply spring back into shape as soon as she stopped applying pressure to its surface.

As strange as the phenomenon was, it only lasted a bare handful of microseconds before the flimsy wood collapsed inward with a tearing of paper and a loud crash.

Kanna stood panting lightly as the dust cleared, ready to leap in and beat the stuffing out of the resident pervert if he was doing anything weird to her friend.

"Ok! I have you now you sick little…Yui?", she asked, finding her friend crouched over Ryu's Guitar case, her hands still lingering guiltily on the lock.

All too soon Kanna's emotional track reverted to its default setting for that evening and she found herself shaking her friend vigorously.

"Ayu-chan is out there somewhere alone with that jerk, and your in here trying to steal his things rather than looking for her!", she shouted between shakes until Yui could prise her hands free from her top.

"Ok, ok I get it, look now investigate later", Yui drawled, trying not to sound too disappointed.

Once again she had been oh so very close, but there would always be tomorrow.

"Any luck?", Mizuki asked, having heard the crash like the others and come to investigate. She had expected to find one crumpled Ryu and a confused young Ayu being towered over by Kanna, not her best friend grumbling like a spoiled child.

"No", Kanna bit out, her earlier anger finally giving way to genuine concern.

Where could they have gone, and why? She knew the answer she wanted to believe, but without her rage to back it up, she was forced to acknowledge the likelihood of Ryu actually doing something like that was fairly low.

_The stupid jerk doesn't have any interest in girls anyway_, she thought, recalling his reaction to their almost kiss back on the Ferris Wheel.

Kanna felt the bile rise in her throat. What if it was just that her preferred younger women? Could he and Ayu have decided to run away together leaving her behind?

_Why the hell am I even thinking about this_, she berated herself, _It's not as if I actually care if they like each other or not. I'm just worried about Ayu_.

Having reaffirmed her purpose, Kanna let the conversation going on around her filter back in.

"…had no luck either", Natsuki and Ema were saying, now showing a little concern of their own, rather than merely indulgence of her, in their eyes, ungrounded fears.

"So they're not in the house then?", Yui asked, sitting up a little straighter, her voice oddly serious for her. It appeared she too was beginning to worry.

This was serious, they had to find them, Kanna no longer cared about the reason, she just wanted to know both her friends were safe.

Ema tumbled roughly into Natsuki as Chii jostled past both of them without sparing a glance, her intent expression causing Kanna to take an unconscious step back as she approached.

Chii didn't seem to notice or care about her cousin's friend's behaviour, just stopped and thrust out one hand in Kanna's direction, presenting a small silver device.

About the size of a modern palmtop, it was square in shape, most of the top surface taken up by an interact display screen that rippled every now and again like it was made of water.

On it there was a set of vaguely familiar lines displayed, and a pulsing yellow dot near one corner.

Kanna looked at the younger girl curiously, "What is…"

"Find", Chii said, nodding slowly at the device Kanna held.

"Chii-chan, I don't-"

"Find", the other girl repeated, stretching the word out as if it helped convey her point better.

"It's a tracking module", Yui explained seeing the still blank look on Kanna's face and her cousin's mounting irritation, "Probably keyed to either Ayu or Ryu's genetic signature…I think".

Yui looked to her younger cousin for confirmation. Technology wasn't her strong suit, such skills resided mostly in her aunt's side of the family, though her father was proficient enough with the basics, enough so that he could usually stop anything his cousin made without outright destroying it.

However such skills had not passed down to her, she was her mother's daughter in almost every respect bar one.

Kanna smiled as she stared at the blinking dot.

Now that she knew what the hell it was supposed to be, she recognised the map projected on the screen before her, and was pretty sure she knew where it was.

"Everyone grab a flashlight and follow me", Kanna ordered, taking note of about where she thought the device was showing Ryu and Ayu to be and orientating herself.

It looked like they were going to find their friends after all.

* * *

They had been walking for what felt like hours to Ayu, deeper and deeper into the caves as Ryu systematically picked tunnels and passages for them to take, all the while never actually telling her what, if anything, they were actually looking for. 

Still, he had given her a task that showed a great deal of trust in her and she was determined not to fail, hoping that if she spotted whatever Ryu was looking for, it would somehow be obvious enough to catch her eye.

The formations in the cave stared back at her silently, unknowable and menacing, and once more she found herself wondering if it would be ok to take Ryu's hand, just to make her feel a little safer so she could concentrate properly.

Every time she thought she had worked up the courage to do so however she would back out at the last moment, her hand unable to close the last few inches.

Ayu sighed.

Why was it so hard?

Well, if she couldn't do that, surely she could at least talk to him like she had planned to do in the first place right?

_Be brave_, she told herself, _You can do this_.

"…Sempai?", there, that was a good start, no stuttering.

"What is it Ayu?", he asked, not looking back at her, but she knew he didn't have to to pay attention, and this might make it easier to talk to him.

"I…", _come on, don't give up already_, "I was wondering…about those pictures…the ones Mizuki showed us".

He tensed up and Ayu feared he's simply tell her it was none of her business and fall silent on her.

"There's nothing to tell", his voice was cold, but at least he hadn't simply shut her out, he never did. Could any of the other girls say that?

Clinging to that small beacon of hope she pressed onward.

"But, um…why were you and Kanna-chan…", she cursed her inability to complete that question, but she feared what answer he might give if she asked why they had looked so close, so…intimate, in the pictures.

"Nothing happened", he said, seeming to instinctively guess the thrust of her questioning, "Kanna was still made at me at the time. Kei and Mai set us up as a way of fixing things, that's all".

She was glad the darkness hid her smile, she would have died with embarrassment had he been able to see and questioned why his answer made her appear so relieved.

If there was truly nothing between him and her older friend, then perhaps…

Ayu was blushing and she hadn't even said anything yet.

She had been thinking that maybe, if Ryu was willing to take Kanna out on a date, even if he hadn't considered it one, then maybe, just maybe, he'd be willing to do the same for her.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

Now all she had to do was ask him…

She was about to open her mouth when she spotted it.

Ryu had told her to point out anything unusual, and a set of giant steel doors; easily double again her height certainly fit the 'usual' category in any context, let alone a cave.

"Sempai", she tugged his sleeve to get his attention, pointing toward the doors as he tracked the light in the direction she indicated.

She watched as his usually emotionless face took on an expectant, almost excited look, and she felt a small thrill as he thanked her for pointing the doors out.

She had actually done something to help him out, and now he was proud of her.

Ayu had to resist the urge to faint as he took her hand and began leading her toward the doors.

His larger hand almost completely swallowed her own, but it was pleasantly warm, and smoother than she had thought a boy's hand would be.

When they reached the doors she was a little saddened that he let go, but it couldn't really compete with her elated mood.

"This has to be it", he was whispering when she finally started to pay attention again, pushing on the doors experimentally, grunting as they gave only slightly and with a sharp screech that indicated rusting had long since set in.

"Ayu, help me push", he said, bracing a shoulder against the door to make room for her and she uncertainly placed her hands on the cool steel.

"It's ok, just push when I do", he told her when he noticed her biting her lip.

Waiting for a nod to indicate she understood, he counted up to three, both of them throwing their weight and all of their strength against the structure.

It ground open fractionally more.

"Keep going", he commanded, drawing a shaky agreement from her, "Itchi, ni, SAN!"

The door fought them tooth and nail the whole way, but eventually it opened, swinging aside abruptly as the rust gave way and almost dropping both of them on their faces.

As it was, Ryu jarred his wrist, still weak and sensitive from its previous impact, and the torch went skittering into the cavern beyond the doors, randomly illuminating just enough to make it clear that this room was not made of stone like the rest, but too fast for him to really make out the details.

"Are you ok Ayu?", he asked his companion, assisting her to her feet as he stood himself.

"I'm fine sempai", she said, dusting off her hopelessly dirty dress even though she couldn't see if she was having any effect of not.

"Wait here", Ryu told her as he picked his way across the new room toward the torch, things he couldn't identify crunching under foot.

There were also a number of strange towers as he found out the hard way after bumping into a number of them, and even knocking one down.

When it fell he was sure he heard the sound of breaking glass.

_What the hell?_, he frowned, realising he had picked that exclamation up from Kanna, but it did suit the mood of the situation.

"Sempai?", Ayu called nervously from nearby the door.

"I'm ok", he shouted back, finally reaching the errant torch and retrieving it. Standing his noticed something glinting metallically in the torchlight and looked up…straight into a pair of glowing eyes.

Every muscle in his body seemed to turn simultaneously into stone and into jelly as shock annihilated his voluntary thought process, his mind choosing now to unleash all the pent up anxiety and terror he had felt since entering this place, plunging him into a kaleidoscope of nightmares and memories, all revolving around a sight just like the one that had left him frozen.

He didn't even hear Ayu scream as the beast before him let loose a throaty roar, his eyes widening in mounting terror as it lashed out, swatting him aside like a fly, the torch spinning out of his grasp and smashing against something in the darkness.

Ayu screamed again as he crashed through a number of the mystery towers, glass racking through his clothes like paper and leaving fiery lines of pain and blood down his back as he skidded roughly to a halt.

He wanted to curl into a ball and pray that this was just another of his dreams, but the pain he felt prevented such comforting illusions.

This was all very much real and once more there was nothing he could do about it.

A part of him was desperately screaming at him to get up, to move, to run away, attempting to remind him of the difference between this event and the last which made their similarity an impossibility.

Strangely it was not these survival instincts, or the cool, logical centre of his brain which prevailed in bringing him out of his stupor.

It was Ayu.

For some reason, when she cried out this time, he found his eyes drawn out from beneath his arms, noticing that the blazing orbs in the darkness were no longer focused on him, but on the trembling girl in the doorway.

The girl who shouldn't have been there in the first place.

There was a great heavy footfall as the creature sized her up, stalking toward her slowly, probably planning to enjoy her fear before moving in for the kill.

Pushing aside the pain in a way only someone associated with Kanna's temper can learn to do so, Ryu dragged himself to his feet, allowing his terror to give his feet wings as he traversed the distance between himself and Ayu.

Grabbing her hand roughly, he half guided, half dragged her behind him as he fled, his knees almost giving out as the monster behind them bellowed in frustration, its anger shaking the walls and raining dust and loose rock down on them as they ran.

Without the torch they had no hope of navigating, but as the sturdy steel doors behind them were rent inward like they were made of cheap plastic, Ryu decided that they had more immediate concerns than navigation.

The creatures roars and footfalls echoed along the tunnels, making them seem even louder and more menacing than they previously were, as it tore through passages, debris crashing loudly in its wake.

Ayu might have been crying, he couldn't tell, only able to make out the occasional word about turtle gods or something similar, and he didn't really care at that moment.

He angled down every passage and turn he could find, hoping that at least one would be too narrow for the beast to fit through and praying that he wouldn't run into a dead end.

His lungs burned and his heart was threatening to burst through his chest, but still he ran, spurred on by a terror he had never felt before.

He lost track of both the time and the number of turns he took, but eventually the roars and the chaos faded into the background, and eventually, faded all together, but he didn't stop until his body betrayed him, forcing him to a halt as it frantically tried to calm his system with a blissful wash of endorphins.

He staggered against the wall of a particularly large cavern they had somehow found themselves in, releasing his death grip on Ayu's delicate hand so that they could both slump down against one of the cool stone walls and pant away their exhaustion.

Ayu was in no better shape than he. She was completely breathless, her legs felt like rubber bands and her heart refused to stop racing.

She swiped at the tears pouring down her face as she hiccupped a few times, her breathing reluctantly returning to normal as she leant her head back against the wall.

She felt a grin slowly spreading across her face as she realised what they had done. They had escaped the wrath of the Guardian from Yui's story after entering its inner sanctum, and were still alive to tell the tale.

For now at least.

Now that she was no longer running for her life, Ayu noticed that they didn't have a torch with them any longer, and even if they did, they had taken a completely different and random route than the one they had used to get to the lair.

They were lost and alone in the dark.

Ayu forced herself to look on the bright side of things as her breathing and heart rate threatened to skyrocket again.

Ryu had actually saved her after she'd assumed him dead when the turtle Guardian hit him. There had certainly been some worrying noises after he had been knocked aside, but just when the creature had turned its attention on her, and she felt sure it would kill her, routed to the spot with fear as she was. Ryu had taken her hand once more and led her away from danger.

He'd saved her life.

Ayu felt a swelling feeling in her chest. Ryu had saved her from a monster just like the hero in all those manga she read, and she wanted to say something, anything to thank him for that.

As she turned to him, her eyes wet with gratitude, she heard his mumblings. Starting off low they were slowly getting louder and more fevered.

"Too dark…walls…no way out, there's…there's no way…", no longer having anything immediate to focus himself on and assuage his terror, the feeling were back in full force, compounded by the realisation that he had gotten them lost during his made dash, and now they were trapped here in the confining darkness with no way out.

_Sempai is Claustrophobic_, Ayu realised with a start, watching as his outline seemed to fold in on itself, like he was hugging his knees to his chest and gently rocking.

"No way out…", he babbled his voice cracked and his eyes wide and almost manic as wave after wave of pure fear washed away the layers of his sanity. At any moment he feared he'd see those terrible eyes again, and then he truly would loose it.

He almost screamed when something gently took hold of his shoulders, confusion vying with fear as he found his head pillowed on something soft and warm, a pair of slender arms around his shoulders.

"What is-"

"Shhhhh", Ayu hushed him softly, her voice gentle and kind as she held his head against her chest, glad the darkness wasn't being peeled back by the force of her blush, "It's ok sempai, your not alone".

In his current state he couldn't do anything but lye there as he felt the anxiety slowly flooding out of him, a great weariness taking its place.

Ayu smiled as she felt him relaxing, instinctively drawing him closer, "That's it sempai, we're safe now, you saved us…saved me".

He might have mumbled something into her chest, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter much, as long as he didn't pull away.

"Thank you", she whispered, feeling the change in his breathing that indicated sleep and giggling to herself.

Feeling a little awkward doing so, but known there was a good chance they would both die here, she let herself run a hand gently through his spiky blond hair, savouring the texture against her slender fingers.

It looked like she'd never get a chance to ask him about that date after all, but she wasn't as sad as she would have expected.

Still stroking his head she whispered softly to his unconscious form, "…I love you, sempai".

The tranquil peace was broken moments later, just as she felt herself sliding toward the realm of dreams, by a loud scuffling noise from the direction of the tunnel they had entered through.

Ayu's heart leapt into her throat. Could it be that the monster was back? Had it tracked them here somehow?

As the sounds drew closer they roused Ryu. Springing out of her grasp he crouched low, slightly in front of her protectively.

Though his movements betrayed the fact he was still half asleep and unaware of what he was doing, the action didn't fail to touch Ayu.

Up ahead a number of lights appeared out of the gloom, dazzling both Ryu and Ayu and forcing them to shield their eyes.

_Flashlights?_, she thought waiting for her eyes to adjust, _Why would a monster need a flashlight?_

"Hey! Hey, I found them!", that was Natsuki's voice, and Ayu's confusion gave way to relief as she found that the older woman was followed by the rest of their friends and fellow residents.

"Where!", that voice could only belong to Kanna.

"Seriously, you two need to find a classier place for a make out session", Yui joked, drawing sniggers from Mizuki and an exasperated sigh from Ema.

"What the hell were you thinking bring Ayu to a place like this?", Kanna demanded, all too ready to lay into Ryu for his stupidity.

"Just doing a little sight seeing", he replied attempting to stand and failing.

Kanna bit the inside of her cheek when she noticed the blood staining Ryu's shirt, and the fatigued expression that haunted his features, quickly passing her torch to Yui moving to his side.

Her face paled when she found the cuts on his back, "Oh my god, Ryu what happened to you, are you alright?"

Her emotional switch from angry friend to doting girlfriend hadn't gone unnoticed, but even Yui didn't seem inclined to comment this time.

"There was a monster", Ayu explained, feeling a burst of jealousy was Kanna slung one of Ryu's arms over her shoulder, helping the protesting boy to his feet and supporting him to help him walk.

"A monster? You mean the Mecha Tama MkXII?", Yui asked, "Chii shut that down when we found it stomping around while we were looking for you guys. My aunt had a lab around here I think, it must have been one of her unfinished projects".

"Obsolete", Chii said, her voice more distasteful than any of those gathered had ever heard it before save Yui.

Yui knew her cousin's dislike of ineffective or faulty machinery.

As the girls offered to help Kanna carry Ryu, much to his embarrassment and annoyance, Ayu found herself trailing behind the group as they began to make their way back out of the caverns.

She still felt an unexplained wave of resentment toward her friend for the way she was behaving around Ryu, but she knew it would pass, probably nothing more than a by-product of the stressful encounter they ha just been through together.

Besides, she had shared something with Ryu that none of the other girls knew about, and she also knew something about him that they didn't and had helped him through it.

She smiled shyly as he looked back at her briefly, his usual impassive mask slipping for a second and revealing a look of gratitude that melted her heart before Kanna accidentally jostled him, kick starting another argument between them that no one paid much attention to.

As they stepped out into the clear night air, Ayu couldn't help but smile in the pale moonlight.

Despite everything, she had managed to spend time alone with Ryu, and even told him how she felt, though he hadn't been able to hear her at the time.

After going through all that in one night, perhaps asking him about that date wouldn't be so hard after all.

* * *

---Author Notes--- 

Hmmm, a rather lengthy chapter if I do say so myself, over 15 pages in Word, not the longest I've ever written but a surprise for sure.

I hope you all enjoyed the cuteness that is Ayu/Ryu, and hopefully my kawaii little girl has a few more fans to rival those who support Kanna lol.

Coming next: Chapter 8: What Lurks Beneath; The residents have been plagued by a lot of strange goings on in the basement of the Hinata Sou in the dead of night. What could be hiding in the house's ancient bowls? It's up to Ryu, Kanna, Ayu and Chii to find out.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	9. Chapter 8: What Lurks Beneath

**A/N:** Thank you all so very much for your reviews and words of encouragement my loyal readers, as as your reward I give you this extra long filler chapter...No! Wait! Don't click the close button, it's good I swear, I've learned to tell if I've written a good chapter by how goofy my smile is when I write the last line, and this one was pretty out there lol

All my babbling aside, enjoy this chapter, and it's back to the story in the next installment. (Incidentally, this will probably be the last Blademasters continum full length fic I do, I have some one shot ideas dealing with things I never write about in themain text, but that all comes later hehehe)

Chapter Eight: What Lurks Beneath

"Hmmmm, what to have, what to have", Kanna mused as she riffled through the collection wrapped leftovers in the Hinata Sou's refrigerator.

The kitchen itself was pitch black, illuminated only by the small bulb fitted snugly within a recess of the icebox's door.

It had been a long day, every teacher seemed to have decided upon this week to hand out assignments, reinforcing Kanna's privately held belief that all teachers are part of some sadistic conspiracy to sap the life of beautiful young highschool girls by stealing their precious free time.

Due this copious amount of homework, she had yet to eat today since lunch, having skipped dinner simply because she had been so engrossed in her work the time had completely passed her by.

She briefly wondered if suggesting to the environmental committee at school, that all these assignments were contributing toward deforestation due the ridiculous amounts of paper involved, would get any of them suspended.

It had been a tiring two weeks thus far.

After bringing Ryu and Ayu back from the cave, a place neither of them would offer a solid explanation for going there in the first place. She had spent the first week taking care of Ryu while he recovered from the injuries Chii-chan's mother's machine had inflicted on him.

True no one had actually asked her to play nurse for the ungrateful jerk, but who else could have handled the responsibility?

Kanna almost dropped the plate she was holding when the idea of herself entertaining Ryu in a rather inappropriate nurses uniform came to mind.

She hit her head softly against the fridge door. Those sorts of thoughts had been cropping up at random intervals for the past two weeks.

Not necessarily the kind of bizarre, ecchi fantasy she had just experienced, but thoughts of her and Ryu in general, and it was beginning to fray her nerves.

She had been glad in a way when Ryu was well enough to return to school, because it meant that she didn't have to worry about one of these thoughts popping up when she was alone with him.

True she hadn't had to take care of him alone, Ayu had offered to help on a few occasions but her pride had always led her to refuse.

Unconsciously, something about the younger girl's expression every time she had said no, tickled the back of her mind, but she brushed it aside as a by-product of tiredness.

Finding something that piqued her interest, Kanna took the plate, closing the door and taking a seat next to the counter and unwrapping her 'bounty'.

Even cold, Ayu's food always tasted great, something she was a little jealous of at times.

Her father was a far hand in the kitchen and her mother wasn't exactly a slouch, though she was far from a culinary genius.

Unfortunately it had taken her mother years of practice to reach the level of mediocre chief, and she had inherited the older woman's baseline cooking skills, rather than some of the talent from her father's side.

As her stomach triggered the pleasure response in her brain, rewarding her for finally getting around to feeding it, Kanna reflected on her most recent, none work related memories of school life.

Things had settled into a sort of groove of habit and repetition.

She, Ryu and Ayu would all go to school together, split up for their various classes, most of which Ryu and Kanna had together.

The older pair would do their usual routine, a strange mix of arguing, helping each other, and the occasional, awkward moment where one or the other would say or do something that was misinterpreted.

Of course this meant that the rumour about them continued, but Kanna was surprised to find it didn't bother her as much as it had when it had started almost a month ago.

Proof you could get used to anything eventually she supposed.

Then they would all meet for lunch, and somehow Ayu would always seem to find Ryu in the milling crowd of students first, and be waiting with him at the usual spot, surveying the running track by the time she got there.

Kanna had more or less given up accusing Ryu of attempting to seduce or attack Ayu, as the younger girl never acted like someone being secretly coerced around him, so that shouldn't bother her…then why did she always make a point of sitting between them when she caught up?

Dismissing it as unimportant, she let her mind drift, instantly finding herself reliving the latest 'misunderstanding' between her and Ryu.

It had been a few days ago, when she had had a tack meet to attend and rather than leave her to walk home alone afterward, Ryu and Ayu had offered to hang around until she was finished…

--- _Kanna smiled as she surveyed the field before her, hands on hips in a classic pose, legs splayed, chest puffed out slightly, though she had to be careful doing that. The figure was like her mother's, very curvy and her gym t-shirt was getting a little too small these days._

_Around her were a number of similarly dressed girls, all performing their stretches and warm up exercises. Here a sandy blond was running through a number of calf stretches, over there a pale, dark haired girl jogging gently on the spot, while their coach, a middle aged woman with a crew-cut that could out muscle Kanna when she was angry, kept casting suspicious glances over her shoulder at the pair sitting on the bank a little way back from her group._

_Kanna followed the older woman's gaze, waving to Ryu and Ayu where they sat, the former sprawled back with his elbows supporting him, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement that had the girls nearest to her smiling and winking, offering various appreciative comments that had her blushing as she tried to deny them, while the latter of the pair hugged her knees to her chest and as covertly as possible, inched a little closer to Ryu._

_Lost in the process of getting into her 'game' set of mind, Kanna didn't here the other girls talking amongst themselves until their coach silenced them with a look, wondering why she was letting the younger girl act so possessive of her 'boyfriend', even if they were friends._

_Focusing only on the track as she walked to the starting line, she also missed her team-mates musings on whether that secondary rumour about her sharing Ryu with Ayu was true or not, something that was almost as popular in school gossip as her supposed relationship to the spiky haired transfer student._

_Taking her mark, Kanna tensed her muscles in anticipation as the coach brought her whistle to her lips, one eye on Kanna, the other on the watch strapped to her wrist._

_With a shrill blow Kanna took off like a bullet from a gun, her slender legs eating ground as they propelled her forward as record setting speed, her arms pumping rhythmically in time with them to aid her forward momentum._

_She fancied that the world at the edges of her vision blurred a little as she ran, enjoying the exhilarating thrill of the self generated thrust as the finish line edged nearer and nearer by the second._

_Her hair, tied in the same braid she always wore it in at school, trailed behind her like the tail of a comet, and before she knew it the line was under her feet and she was reversing gears back down to a light jog, then a walk, and finally coming to a halt, doubling over for a second as she took a few deep breathes of sweet, cool air to sooth her burning lungs. _

_She turned back to the bank, quirking a grin and flashing the victory sign with her fingers as Ayu cheered her enthusiastically, just as she always did when she watched her friend run._

_Ryu looked briefly between the starting and finish line as if gauging the distance she had run before offering an appreciatively raised eyebrow, the closest to a public display of praise she could really expect from him._

_Had she thought about it, she might have noticed the volumes it spoke of that she could actually tell the different degrees of upturned eyebrow from him, and what each entailed, but even failing to notice this didn't stop the light flutter of vindication she felt in her stomach from his acknowledgement._

_Still, there were certain forms to maintain, so naturally she returned the gesture with a sardonic bow, pulling down one eyelid and sticking out her tongue for good measure._

_Much to her surprise he gave a tiny smile and shook his head._

_That had her grinning internally all the way back to the starting block._

_She ran a few more times, talking to her coach after each run about ways to improve her time, taking mental notes of the exercises she suggested, and planning way to incorporate them into her usual routine._

_When she was finally finished, sweat beading and running down her face, she walked wearily over to where Ayu and Ryu had been sitting, now only seeing Ryu, looking around but unable to find the blue haired girl anywhere in sight._

"Where's Ayu-chan?", she wheezed, wincing at how much like an old woman she sounded.

"_She offered to go by some drinks for when you were done", he spoke up from where he lay, "She'll be back in a moment"._

"_And you let her go alone?", she asked, planting her hands on her hips and staring down at him._

"_She can take care of herself…she's stronger than she looks", he added quietly._

_Kanna frowned. Just what the hell was that supposed to mean._

"_Come on", she said, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him to his feet, "I'll go get changed and we'll find her"._

"_Kanna", he warned, trying to tug his arm out of her steely grasp, "She'll be right back"._

"_So? Doesn't mean you have to lay there scaring the birds away. Move it mister", she hoped the verbal prod would help get him going._

"_Kanna", he ground out again, becoming irritated._

_Trying to free himself from her persistence, he yanked his arm back a little hard than intended, and with a yelp, Kanna found her self tugged off balance and draped over his chest._

_Once more Kanna found herself nose to nose with Ryu, neither of them quite able to believe what had happened._

_Her mind as drawn back to the incident on the Ferris Wheel. Would he kiss her this time, she wondered as she saw something moving behind his blue eyes._

_Kanna was becoming increasingly aware of the poor cover her gym uniform afforded her lower half as she felt the material of Ryu's shirt brush against her bare legs where she had inadvertently straddled his waist._

"_Kanna…", she swallowed heavily, her cheeks warming._

"…_Yeah…", was all she could manage at the moment by way of response. It was clear he was coming to some sort of decision and she was trembling slightly as she wondered what he would decide to do._

"_I…"_

"_Yes", she responded, chiding herself for speaking so quickly._

"…_think we're being watched"_

"_Wha?", not the most intelligent response, but it fit her confusion nicely. What was the big doofus talking about?_

_She looked over her shoulder, her face all but glowing when she caught sight of the small group of her fellow team members, clustered around them, whispering to each other excitedly, and worse, Ayu was amongst them, looking at her friend like she'd just killed a puppy in front of her, three sodas held forgotten in her hands._

_To embarrassed and overloaded to think of a better way to respond, she all but leapt off him, back-pedalling to put some distance between them as she racked her brains for an explanation.---_

No one had believed her in the end, and worse, she had had to sit through a lecture from her coach about learning to control her hormones, which was probably the reason she hit Ryu as hard as she did when she found him and Ayu waiting for her at the gates after she changed.

"Huh?", Kanna looked down, horrified to find the plate she had been snacking from completely bare.

Returning the plate to the sink and tossing the Clingfilm in the trash, she yawned and began to make her way upstairs.

She was bone-weary; things were just too complicated when they concerned Ryu nowadays for her to think about in this state. She'd probably end up thinking about it tomorrow at some point, so she could wait till then.

_Thump!_

Kanna froze, slowly turning about on the spot she looked around the dark and abandoned corridor, finding no one else visible but herself.

"Hello?", nothing but silence answered her.

Kanna swallowed hard. This was just like the horror films she had watched with Mizuki. That thought made her jump a mile when she walked into the couch in the living area by mistake.

_Just someone shifting in their bed upstairs, _she assured herself, forcing herself to laugh at her own foolishness, _Nothing to be afraid-_

_Thump, BANG!_

"_Eeeeep!_", she let out a strangled cry, darting for the stairs and another series of crashes echoed in the dark, seeming to draw closer to her.

As soon as she was gone, the noises seemed to vanish, and a malignant stillness descended upon the house.

* * *

Ryu lay awake the following night, having only just finished his most recent attempt to catch up on all the work he had missed from school thus far.

His hands pillowed behind his head, he once more closed his eyes, only to open them seconds later as sleep continued to elude him.

He knew the reason for his restlessness.

_Kanna_.

The dark haired girl hadn't left him alone since she and the others had rescued him and Ayu from the…cave.

He shivered for a few seconds before bringing himself back under control; resisting the urge to draw the covers he had left down by his waist, thus exposing his bare chest to the cool night air, up to his neck.

Ryu sneered at the darkness of his room as if to prove he was not intimidated by it.

He had only been saved from madness by the acts of the shyest resident in the Hinata Sou when his phobia had gripped him upon realising that he had stranded them both in the dark confines of the cave system with no way out.

She had embraced him as his mind had become increasingly unbalanced, acting as a lifeboat in a storm, anchoring him to sanity by the slimmest of threads.

He could never express how grateful he was for that, if for no other reason than that such acts did not come naturally to him.

If he let himself drift, he could vaguely remember the soft warmth of her small body pressed against his…

Coughing both louder and more roughly than necessary, Ryu cleared his mind of such inappropriate thoughts, only to have images of Kanna flood his mind the moment he had successfully purged the last of those of Ayu.

It was circular thinking. He could suppress any thoughts about one girl, only to find himself thinking of the other.

True to form, his thoughts returned to Kanna's actions after he had been rescued. She had refused to allow anyone else to so much as touch him as she, much to his chagrin, more or less carried him back to the Hinata Sou, arguing with him all the way even as she tenderly and carefully supported him.

This nurturing side to the persistently violent young woman had taken him by surprise, and he had been treated to the full force of it after she had sequestered he away him his room.

Over the course of the following week, she had more or less forbidden him to leave his bed, turning away anyone who offered to help her in her self appointed task, and fussing over him like they were newlyweds rather than a pair that barely managed a civil conversation most of the time.

If he were honest, a small part of him had enjoyed the attention, but the majority had been thoroughly put out by all her overbearing restrictions.

Whenever he had tried to leave his room, she was always waiting outside, and Ryu had suspected that she had asked Chii to install some sort of monitoring device in his room.

How else could she have always known when he would try and leave?

By the end of the week he had more or less resigned himself to his fate, putting up with her as best he could.

Involuntarily, his mind replayed an incident where she had been messing around with his pillows, accidentally giving him a view straight down her blouse as she had lent over.

He was fairly sure she had spotted him trying not to look, but if she had, then why had she never said anything about it, and why didn't she change into something with a higher neckline next time she saw him?

Ryu shook his head.

That wasn't the only instance of strange behaviour from Kanna lately. When he and Ayu had watched her during her track practice, she had accidentally fallen on top of him when she had tried to drag him to his feet.

After a week or so of being bossed around by her, he had been in an understandably contrary mood and refused to budge, which resulted in her being pitched of balance and…well, the rest was almost to clichéd to recall.

Needless to say he had been surprised when all she did upon realising they were being watched was to blush and leap away from him.

He had been almost relieved when she hit him after getting changed as he and Ayu waited to walk home with her.

_But why the delay?_, he couldn't help but think.

It wasn't as if he wanted to be hit by that impulsive and aggressive girl, but that changes in her behaviour toward him were making her less predictable than normal.

As he thought more about that day, he realised that Kanna was not the only one who had been acting strangely as of late.

Ayu had also been behaving differently.

When he had come back to school, she had always managed to find him no matter where he was at the start of their lunch break, taking his sleeve as she guided him toward the spot they always ate lunch at, as if he had forgotten, or would wander off if she let go.

This meant that they always spent a few minutes alone eating the bento's Ayu prepared for them together before Kanna showed up and dropped herself unerringly between them.

She had also reacted strangely after the incident at the track, becoming as quiet and unresponsive as she had been during those early days when he had first arrived at the Hinata Sou.

Ryu muttered to himself, rolling onto his side and trying once more to keep his eyes closed for more than a few seconds.

As if all this strangeness wasn't enough, Kanna had also spent lunch that day babbling at him about strange noises in the night, wide eyed as she told him and Ayu she thought the house might be haunted.

That of course had scared Ayu, resulting in her clinging to his arm with her eyes screwed tightly shut while he and Kanna argued over her claim.

_Ghosts_, he thought with a snort, _How absurd_.

Ryu was relieved as he finally felt sleep reaching out to embrace him.

_Thump!_

Ryu growled as his sleep was disrupted once more, mentally wishing to strangle a certain scientist by the name of Murphy had that been possible.

_Bump…bang!_

He folded the pillow over his head, hoping it would muffle the noise of whoever was stomping around this late at night.

Why did he have to live with such a rowdy bunch?

_Thud!………_

He cracked one eye open as all the noise seemed to cease in an instant, counting mentally back from thirty, and pleased when no more noises assailed him.

Finally, maybe now he could get some rest.

_Knock knock_

"God damn it!", he cursed out loud, hurling his pillow aside and climbing to his feet.

The soft rapping was repeated as he groped about, finally locating his trousers and pulling them on.

"Who is it?", he called as he approached the door. No one answered.

_Naturally_, he griped, hauling the door aside, ready to give whichever of the girls was the cause of all this a piece of his mind.

_If this is Yui come to pay another 'visit'_, he promised darkly, to tired to even feel intrigued by the exotic foreign beauty.

It took a few moments to register what he was seeing. A slender figure veiled in a white sheet that seemed to glow in the moonlight streaming in through his window.

"You've got to be joking", he deadpanned, rubbing his temple with the rough ball of one finger while he used his other hand to support himself against the doorframe.

He'd snapped at last, that had to be it, why else did it look like there was a b-movie ghost wannabe standing in front of him this late at night.

The 'ghost', pulled down its hood, revealing the wavy hair framed face of Kanna, her eyes slightly wide and darting.

"Ryu, good your awake", she said, sounding more tense than relieved.

"No thanks to you", he grumbled, "What do you want Kanna, I'm trying to sleep".

He shook off a number of fantasy versions of Kanna's response, all of which involved her dropping the sheet to reveal her attire or lack there of, followed by some sort of corny seduction line.

_I'm more tired that I thought_.

"You heard the noises just now right?", she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"If I say no will you go away?", he asked, wincing as her fist lanced out into his gut, but lacking anywhere near the usual strength.

"Ryuuuuu", she whined, an unusual tactic for Kanna.

"Fine, I heard them", he admitted making to close the door, "Glad we had this little chat, lets do it again some time".

She walked straight past him into his room before he could, having apparently missed or ignored that last part, looking around his room for a moment.

"Jeez, this place is a mess", she commented and he felt a vein come to the surface on his forehead.

"Forgive me, but I was supposed to be sleeping not entertaining", he bit out sourly.

She nodded absently, pacing nervously about the room without any apparent destination.

Sighing, knowing she wouldn't go away until she had found whatever answer or response she was looking for, he sank back down on to his futon, smirking a little when she hesitated to follow suit when he offered her a seat.

_Of course, _now_ she realises she's come to my room in the middle of the night while everyone is asleep…why couldn't that of occurred before she left her room and woke me up?_

"So", he prompted after they had spent the obligatory few minutes staring at each other from where they were huddled at opposite ends of the futon.

"You heard those noises, how could anyone sleep when there's god only knows what in the house?", she asked, her eyes darting again.

"It's probably just one of the other girls who couldn't sleep", he said, stifling a yawn.

Kanna shook her head resolutely, "Uh-uh, Yui sleeps like a log, so does Mizuki, Natsuki isn't here tonight and neither is Ema, they're visiting Natsuki's older sister for a few days, and Chii-chan makes as much noise asleep as she does awake".

"What about Ayu?", he asked, realising how stupid that question was as soon as he said, it, Kanna's look confirming it, "Ok, point taken, so if it's not any of them, who is it?"

"Idiot, if I knew that I wouldn't be here now would I?", she hissed and Ryu barely resisted the sudden impulse to strangle her.

"Fine, then why not go bug Yui or one of the others and let me get some sleep?"

"I told you, Yui and Mizuki sleep like the dead, there's no way I could rouse one of them if I tried, and do you think Ayu or Chii would be any help if it's something dangerous?", she asked.

"Nice to know I'm in the top five somewhere", he ground out, the bitterness in his voice taking them both by surprised.

Kanna felt momentarily guilty as it occurred to her she might have stepped on the toes of Ryu's sensitive pride by phrasing things that way. If she was honest, she had wanted to come here first, but the idea was so mortifyingly embarrassing she had decided to try the others first.

Besides, right up until he opened his mouth when she knocked on his door, she had been nervous about how he might react to her turning up this late and was part of the reason she had grabbed this sheet to go over her pyjamas, just in case he got any funny ideas.

_Bump!_

She let out an involuntary shriek, inching closer to Ryu until she stopped herself.

"You see? Who could sleep with that going on all night?", her eyes pleaded with him to show a little compassion for once.

"Some of us would be happy to try", he groused, his shoulders sagging as it became increasing clear Kanna wasn't going to budge until he did something. She was stubbornness incarnate it seemed, no matter the situation.

"Fine", his said through clenched teeth, standing and walking over to the door, "Follow me".

"Where are we going?", she asked, a sinking feeling developing in her stomach as she thought of the most likely answer.

The faintest trace of a smile graced Ryu's lips in the dark as he thought of the perfect way to get back at her for putting him through all of this.

"Ghost Hunting of course".

* * *

Ayu rubbed at her eyes sleepily as she tried to focus on what she was writing. The harsh glow of her desk lamp seemed magnified by her fatigue, but she couldn't allow herself to sleep until she was sure she had everything down exactly as she wanted it.

Turning back a few pages to where she had started, Ayu read her latest entry, starting from a date roughly two weeks ago seen as how she'd only recently updated. It wasn't often she found something worth putting down, and after so much had happened she had taken a while to decide what exactly she wanted to transcribe.

Holding her pen loosely between her lips, Ayu began to read:

_Dear Diary;_

_The past few weeks have been some of the most exciting and most frightening I have ever experienced._

_Last time I wrote, sempai, Kanna-chan and Mizuki had just come back from their class trip, and I have already told you how very happy I was to see him return…_

_After sempai got well again with the help of some medicine provided by Chii-chan, he was able to take part in the cherry blossom festival with us. Everyone had fun, and I was particularly excited as Ema-san had told me that tonight was a special night for couples at the Hinata Sou._

_I spent a long time practicing how to tell sempai how I felt about him, but he was talking with Kanna-chan most of the night…so I never got a chance…at least, not then anyway._

_When Mizuki and Yui showed us pictures of Kanna and sempai on a… date… I wanted to cry. Sometimes I still do, even though they say there is nothing going on between them, I see how they look at each other sometimes, and Kanna-chan is a lot prettier than I am…_

Ayu paused here, looking down at her small bust and petite frame sadly, wondering if Ryu would even react is he could see her in her sleeveless night dress right now, the thought bringing a blush to her cheeks that had her ducking her head even though there was no one around to see it.

Pushing such self-pitying thoughts from her head, she continued to read:

_And yesterday, when I went to go get us all a drink, I came back to find Kanna-chan and sempai…_

_Even though she hit him afterward, I don't think she was as angry as she pretended to be._

_But I still have some hope. After the festival I followed sempai to an old cave Yui told us about in a story. We searched it together and found what we would later learn was an old research lab built by Chii-chan's mother. One of her experiments was still functioning and it attacked us._

_I would have been killed if not for sempai. Even though he was injured, he saved me and took me away from the monster that wanted to hurt us._

_Later, when we had escaped, sempai began to have a panic attack. He's claustrophobic and after everything that had happened he couldn't hold back his phobia any longer._

_I actually helped sempai…I held him, trying to make him feel safe, even though I'm small and fragile, not strong like Kanna-chan, it worked, and he thanked me in his own way._

Ayu had trailed off here, unable to decide whether to add what she wanted to next, or to leave that memory buried in the secret depths of her heart.

She withdrew the pen from her mouth, and pressed it lightly to the paper:

_…I also… I told sempai._

_I told sempai…that I love him…_

_I can't think of the words to describe how that felt…even if he couldn't hear me, I think… I think that he knows what I said on some level. He's been a lot nicer to me than usual, he lets me talk about whatever I want when we're eating alone before Kanna-chan finds us, just smiling that small smile that breaks his stern face, the one so few people have ever got close enough to see._

_Even though I know he's shown Kanna-chan the same thing, it doesn't make it any less special…_

_I've decided…Tomorrow I'm finally going to do it, I'm going to ask sempai to take me on a…on a date._

_Wish me luck._

_Ayu_

"I will do it", she promised herself, looking down at what she had just written, "To be happy together with sempai…I'll do my best".

A sharp knock at the door startled her, and she knocked over a pot of pencils and other drawing equipment as she hastily gathered up her diary, trying unsuccessfully a number of times before finally managing to get the desk draw open and deposit the small book back inside, taking care not to slam it in her haste.

Another knock came as she stood shakily, almost causing her to trip over her chair.

"H-hai, I'll be right there", she stuttered, picking her way over to the door and making an effort to still her shaking hands as she slid it aside.

Any efforts she had made were completely undone when she found out who was standing there.

Clad only in a pair of dark trousers, Ayu's eyes were drawn of their own accord to Ryu's bare chest, a flush of embarrassment forcing her to look up at his eyes, which further threatened to break her fragile composure.

"S-sempai?", he voice was barely a squeak as her throat seemed to contract.

_W-why is sempai here so late, _her mind was racing with possibilities, _What could he want…dressed like…like that…_

Her gaze was drawn back to his semi-dressed state against her will.

Was Ryu here to make some sort of proposition towards her? That was so... bold!

"See, I told you she was awake", Ryu's comment drew her out of her trance, and she looked around him, wondering who he was talking to, only to find Kanna behind him, arms folded beneath the sheet she had draped around her shoulders and huffing indignantly.

"So you were right about something for once, don't let it go to your head", Kanna fired back.

"Ano…", Ayu interjected before another of their arguments could begin outside her door, "What are you doing here sempai?"

"Not sleeping that's what", he grumbled and Ayu could only wonder why Kanna stuck her tongue out at him and kicked his shin.

"Why are you still up Ayu-chan", Kanna asked, and the blue haired girl panicked for a moment, wondering what she should say, "Did you hear the noises as well?".

"Noises? What-"

_Thud!_

Ayu jumped, her heart picking up a beat or two.

"Those noises", Kanna said, casting a sidelong look at Ryu that he ignored, choosing instead to rest his weight against Ayu's doorframe.

"W-what's making them?", she asked nervously, whatever was the cause, it didn't sound small, and after the cave…

"That's what we're going to find out", Ryu answered, "We saw your light on and wanted to make sure you were shifting your furniture around or something equally strange before slinking around the house all night".

"You mean you're going to go find out what's making those noises sempai?", Ayu asked, feeling both a little safer, but also concerned. Would Ryu be ok walking around in the dark alone after his attack?

"**We** are going to find out, yes", Kanna spoke up, feeling the inexplicable urge to interrupt the strange look passing between Ryu and her younger friend.

"Feel free to tag along if you wish", Ryu said, ignoring the look Kanna gave him, "Any help would be useful".

"Ryu, you shouldn't ask her to-", Kanna began.

"I'll go", Ayu interrupted before she could finish, leaving her friend speechless for a moment.

"…Ok, but grab a jacket or something first", Kanna advised, taking in Ayu's evening ware and eyeballing Ryu meaningfully.

Ayu coloured deeply when she realised how she was dressed in front of Ryu, the boy in question now feeling distinctly uncomfortable having had her attire pointed out to him.

The door closed, and when it opened again a few minutes later, Ayu had take Kanna's advice literally, throwing on a light summer jacket over her nightdress.

"Lets get this over with", Ryu said, muffling another yawn behind his hand and setting off with the two women in tow.

"Where did you first hear the noises?", Ryu asked over his shoulder as they approached the stairs.

"Downstairs", Kanna replied, eying the darkened stairwell dubiously and gulping along with Ayu when another loud crash resounded as if to confirm her statement.

Moving as a group, they made their way quietly downstairs, pausing in the living area, alert for any signs of intrusion and finding none.

Slowly they crept through the ground floor, pausing to check every room they came across, but finding nothing out of the ordinary.

By the time they reached the kitchen, Kanna was growing impatient, "Where is it? There has to be something here unless…unless it really is a ghost!".

Ayu trembled and Ryu snorted, "Don't be stupid".

"I'm not!", she responded indignantly, "I suppose you have a better answer"

Before Ryu could shout something back at her there was a dull thud and the floorboards seemed to shiver for a moment.

"…It's beneath us", Ryu said, earning a scathing remark about stating the obvious from a very edgy Kanna while Ayu held onto her friend.

Soon they found themselves outside the basement door. All three of them casting glances amongst the others, waiting for one of them to be the first to say or do something.

When no one spoke, Ryu reached out and gripped the handle, only to find Kanna's trembling hand clamped on top of his own.

"I don't think this is such a good idea anymore", she said, her voice sounding a little strained, "Let's just go back to bed".

"I think that's a good idea sempai", Ayu added her support to the new plan, but Ryu just shook his head.

"Sorry but no. If we don't find out what this is, she", he pointed at Kanna, "Will keep waking me up every five minutes because she's too scared to sleep".

"I am not scared!", Kanna hissed, mumbling afterwards, "Well…not really…".

"Then shut up and let me try and open this door", he turned away before Kanna could respond, and Ayu had to stifle a laugh at the colour her friend's face turned before she stuck her tongue out at Ryu's back.

As she sulked, Kanna watched Ryu fiddle with the handle, knowing the big idiot wouldn't be able to open it, it was locked after all.

Ema had always told them the basement was haunted, but that was just a cover for never going down there because she had lost the key…right?

When the floorboards behind her creaked for the first time, Kanna dismissed it as her imagination, even as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end she denied she had heard anything.

However, when she heard it the second time, and caught the look of wide eyed fear reflected in Ayu's own, wide eyes, she knew that there was definitely something there, something behind them.

As if her head had been locked in place, she turned her whole body slowly seeing out of the corner of her eye the dark shadow looming toward them.

"Aiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!", both her and Ayu's simultaneous screams had Ryu jerking around to see what was going on, his brow wrinkling in confusion as he saw what was standing in front of the two hysterical women.

"Chii?", his question calmed his two companions enough that they let go of each other enough to see that it was indeed a sleepy, oversized kitty t-shirt wearing Chii, standing in front of them, not some deranged killer as they has assumed.

"Loud", she complained, looking at Kanna and Ayu in turn, both of the older women rubbing their heads sheepishly.

"Sorry about that Chii-chan", Kanna said, the first of the two to recover from her embarrassment, "Did we wake you?"

The young girl shook her head, her ever present pigtails swaying as she did so, "Noises".

"You heard them as well Chii-chan?", Ayu asked, crouching down slightly to put herself on eye level with the younger girl, and a little surprised to realise she didn't have to bend all that much to do so.

Chii nodded, looking past them at the door where Ryu stood.

Ryu looked at her and then back at the door a few times, an idea forming in his head, "Chii…we think that the noises are coming from downstairs, but the door is locked…can you…", by way of answering she brushed past him, retrieving something from a pocket sewn into the front of her t-shirt and setting to work.

Before any of them could see what she actually did the lock opened with a tiny click and the young Molmolian pushed the door aside, stepping back for a moment so they could peer at the staircase that led into the basement.

"Well…I guess we should go down there then", Ryu said, suddenly finding it hard to draw breath as the darkness yawned out toward him, and icy tendrils of fear pooled in his stomach and clawed at his mind.

"Sempai…", his daze was broken and he found Ayu and Kanna staring up at him, worry on both their faces, though there was also understanding in Ayu's gentle eyes.

"Earth to jerk, you ok?", Kanna's voice was gentle even if her words weren't.

"Fine", he said, folding his arms and donning his usual mask of bored indifference.

"So…who goes first?", Kanna asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye as a hint.

To their everlasting surprise Ryu never got a chance to answer, he caught the object Chii tossed at him, taking a moment to realise it was a compact torch before the small blond snapped on her own light and walked straight past them all and down the stairs.

Another round of startled glances were exchanged and the trio hurried after the younger girl, descending into darkness without a second thought.

* * *

They had thankfully found Chii before she wandered too far ahead, Kanna chiding her about running off when there might be something dangerous lurking down here, and only really succeeding in scaring herself more than Chii, though the younger girl did nod as if she agreed with what Kanna was saying.

The basement of the Hinata Sou was old and dusty, covered in cobwebs; it's painted doors peeling and showing signs of neglect.

"It's hard to believe any part of the house is like this", Kanna commented as they passed by a large room filled with boxes of old junk.

Kanna was tempted to do a little snooping, but Ryu had told her they didn't have time, and could come back later if it turned out there was nothing down here.

She had sarcastically thanking him for dining to grant his permission, and had been a little worried when he didn't fire back a barb of his own.

Even stranger was the way Ayu kept hovering as close to him as she could, only backing off to normal walking distance when she noticed Kanna looking at her, and soon resuming her former position.

It probably said something about the groups priorities when the person at their forefront, the only one unaffected by 'adult' concerns, was a small girl.

Chii rarely even looked at the others, marching on silently with a resolute pace, much as Ryu had done in the cave, but something was different. It was almost as if Chii actually knew the exact location of their destination, but how could she? The door had been locked and no one had been down here in years.

Kanna's discomfort was slowly giving way to boredom the further they walked. The creepy factor had long since worn off without any form of reinforcement, so she taken to guessing the number of piles in the rooms they passed.

A game that had the added bonus of annoying the hell out of Ryu it seemed.

In her own way she was trying to help. Ryu's nervousness was so out of character it was contagious, so even if all she could do was get him mad at her it helped.

"Do you think it was just a couple of these old piles falling over?", she asked a one point, noticing how delicately some of the boxes were stacked, "It would explain a lot I guess".

Ryu didn't answer.

Kanna grit her teeth as she noticed his and Ayu's hands brush for a moment, an unnamed feeling welling up inside of her.

"I'm talking to you, you big jerk!", she stomped her foot.

There was an ominous groaning sound behind her and a stack of cardboard boxes came crashing down in great clouds of dust.

Kanna hacked and coughed as the dust cleared, wiping at her watering eyes and trying to make out the torchlight.

Eventually she spotted it and spluttered her way over to Ayu and Ryu, brushing at her hair, "Is everyone ok?"

Ryu seemed to snap, "Can't you just be quiet for once!".

She shrunk back under the unexpected force of his yell, before righteous anger washed away her sudden timidness.

"I wouldn't have to shout if you'd listen for once moron!", she yelled back, glaring up at him defiantly as he tried to stare her down.

"What of there is something down here? Did you think about that? You just told it exactly where we are!", she paled a little as the implications of that hit home.

"Wait, stop it! Chii is gone!", Ayu's frantic cry broke the stalemate between him and Kanna, both of them scanning the immediate area to confirm what she had just said.

"Oh no…Chii-chan", Kanna felt waves of guilt hit her. What if Ryu was right, and whatever was down here had been attracted by all the noise she had been making and snatched poor little Chii while she and Ryu had been arguing?

"There!", Ryu shouted taking off down one passage, as Kanna registered the sound of footfalls coming from that direction.

With her and Ayu in tow, they hurtled after the retreating sound, only pausing long enough to ensure they were still going the right way before pushing on.

Gradually they lost track of the noise, and an uneasy silence descended upon the group as they came to a reluctant halt.

Ryu kept his ears pricked for any sign of Chii or what had taken her, but heard nothing as he paced back and forth angrily.

He looked over his companions.

Ayu seemed close to grief stricken, fear for the youngest member of the Hinata Sou clear in her eyes and in the way she held herself.

Kanna was standing with her back to them, unmoving and still as a statue. He would have ignored her had he not heard that first sniffling hic.

"Kanna?"

"It's _sniff_, all my _hic_, fault. Chii-chan is gone and it's all my fault…", he was still angry enough to agree with her, but something held his tongue as her shoulder began to bob and shake in a way that needed no explanation.

"Kanna…", feeling awkward he hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring way. Comforting others was another of those areas of social skills he was poor in.

He stood ramrod straight when she spun, half expecting her to shout at him, or hit him for daring to touch her, anything but what she actually did.

Kanna let loose a tiny wail, burying her face in his chest, her hands held between them as she cried openly.

Ryu was stunned. He had never seen Kanna cry before, had never really seen any girl cry, but even lacking the foreknowledge of what exactly to do, one arm wrapped itself around her instinctively as he tried to figure out just what he was supposed to do next.

He was saved from improvisation when Ayu called out to them.

"I see a light up ahead!", she said, and indeed, with the torch pointing at the ground, Ryu could make out the ambient glow of another light.

"A light?", Kanna asked, sniffing as she swiped at her eyes, a faint trace of hope in her voice.

She pushed away from Ryu, leaving him standing there speechless for a moment until she pivoted, looking at him impatiently.

"What are you waiting for? Move it already", she commanded, both her pose and expression ones that conflicted with her actions only moments earlier.

Still a little confused, he followed.

* * *

None of them knew what to say to covey their mixed feelings about what they had found.

Chii was not here, but considering where 'here' was, that could be construed as both a good thing and a bad thing.

The sparsely lit room that Ayu had discovered appeared to be a futuristic version of a medieval torture chamber, or rather, that was the first thing that came to mind upon viewing the room.

However what most held the trio's attention, were the twin cages set to one side of the room. One small, the other large. The larger…and the larger of the two looked like the bars had been rent open from the inside.

"Did anyone else see this movie before?", Kanna asked in a weak attempt at humour that didn't amuse even her.

"Sempai", Ayu huddled closer to Ryu as Kanna unconsciously did the same on his opposite side, "What is this place?".

There was something nagging at the back of his mind that he just couldn't place. Something about this room…

"I have no idea…"

As if some divine being had decided that our little group had not yet sufficiently been pushed far enough, that the moment was lacking some critical component that it had just remembered, the air was pierced by a loud shriek.

Though none of them had ever heard the owner of that voice produce a sound even vaguely like what they had just heard, they all knew who it belonged to.

As he looked down at each of the girls clinging to one of his arms, the light of understanding dawned on bother their faces and all three spoke their thoughts as one.

"Chii!".

* * *

They had followed the scream back to its source, and discovered two things. Firstly Chii was still alive and unharmed, but secondly, they were definitely not alone down here.

Standing a little way off from where Chii lay, was what Kanna could only think of as the cyberpet from hell.

Vaguely canine in shape, it was mostly metallic, sharp, angular spikes protruding from its shoulder blades and smaller spikes along its back down to the base of its cable like tail.

Where its eyes should have been there was only a black visor that wrapped perfectly around its steel muzzle and ended beneath ears that _clicked_ and _whirred_ as they rotated in place like pointed radar dishes.

Ryu had snapped the head off an old mop in a way that made Kanna think of the old kung fu films she had watched with her mother when she was a child, but she was more concerned about Chii than how impressively cool Ryu had looked as he did that.

He was brandishing his 'weapon', before him as he stood in front of Chii, holding it across his body so that equal lengths stuck out from either hand.

Again, she couldn't help but notice, the way he held himself, he had either had formal training, or had a lot of self-confidence and watched one too many movies.

She almost expected him to launch into one of those 'Fiend.vs.Justice' speeches from some of the older films she had watched, but that would have been far too surreal for her to handle at the moment.

He and the cybermutt faced each other silently as Chii fumbled for something in her pocket, though what she thought she had that would do any good against that thing Kanna couldn't begin to guess at.

The robo-pooch lunched for Ryu, receiving a swift _whap_ to the head for it's troubles that knocked it into one of the larger storage rooms with a screeching thud.

_At least we know what was causing all the noise now_, Kanna thought as Ryu moved into the room after the creature rather than closing the door and locking it in.

Looking again at the flimsy wood, Kanna understood why he handed even bothered to try, but still…

She gasped and Ayu screamed as he came sailing out of the room, his feet not touching the floor, and slammed into the opposing wall hard enough to crack the plaster.

She almost grinned as she heard him mutter something about the universe being out to get him personally, and might have laughed if not for both his opponent, and how serious he sounded saying it.

A shadow near Ryu seemed to detach itself from the darkness and come hurtling toward him even as the mecha-dog saundered back out of the storage room after its prey.

"Ryu!", she called out pointing to the new threat.

Ryu spotted the movement and grit his teeth, backing toward Chii while trying to keep an eye of his opponent as well as the newcomer.

He blinked as the shadow dart between his legs, heading straight for Chii, snapping his head around to follow it as it came fully into the light.

He as a little confused when he found himself being growled at by a snowy furred Nakita pup, and even more so when he realised it had taken up a defensive posture in front of Chii.

His thoughts were mirrored on the faces of Kanna and Ayu.

Even the cyber-dog seemed unsure of what to make of this new arrival, but it rapidly overcame its confusion as it began to stalk forward once more. One more target didn't matter to it.

Ryu tensed, the pup yapped at the larger creature, and the mecha-pooch… froze.

"What in the…", Ryu trailed off as the mechanical menace seemed to sag for a moment before canting to one side and collapsing with a resounding crash, like a collection of pots being knocked over.

"Shutdown…", he turned back to find Chii pointing a thin, pen like device at the creature, her usually blank face looking a little sad for a moment before the puppy leapt into her lap, barking happily at her.

"…What just happened here?", Kanna asked, edging closer to Chii, her eyes still on the immobile hunk of metal Ryu was prodding with the end of his makeshift staff.

"I'm never going somewhere like this voluntarily again", he muttered between pokes, tossing the pole away and moving to join Kanna and Ayu by Chii.

"I assume you know something about that", he said gesturing over his shoulder as he crouched down to Chii's level. The way she refused to look up at him, instead playing with the bundle of fur in her lap confirmed his assumption.

"Knock it off jerk", Kanna admonished him, "Can't you see she's just as shaken up by all this as we were".

Ryu ignored her, focusing solely on Chii, "Chii, that thing is like the machine that attacked me an Ayu in…in the cave… Yui told us your mother only built things that resembled turtles…so where did it come from?".

"I think we should leave her alone for a while", Ayu said, putting her hands on the young girl's shoulders as she saw her bit her lip.

"Did you build this Chii?", he asked, wincing when Kanna hit him and glazing over Ayu's disapproving look.

Slowly, Chii nodded, still not looking directly at him.

"It's ok Chii-chan, as long as your safe we won't be mad", Kanna soothed her, "Come on, how about we all get out of this dusty old basement hey?".

"Built…", Chii trailed off, taking a deep breath and looking up slightly, "I…wanted to build something to keep everyone…safe".

Everyone was a little shocked at the number of words the youngest resident had just uttered at once, but that didn't distract them from _what_ she had said.

"Safe from what Chii-chan?", Ayu asked gently.

"Just…safe", she returned her attention momentarily to the boisterous puppy frolicking in her lap.

"That didn't seem very safe to me", Ryu commented, drawing an angry stare from Kanna which he answered with a cool look of his own.

Chii nodded, "…Sorry".

"It's ok sweetie, we know you just wanted to help", Kanna said, turning a more threatening look on Ryu, "Right Ryu?"

Ryu snorted.

"Sorry…", Chii whispered, hugging the puppy to her, "…I wanted to do something useful…so that everyone would like me…".

"What are you talking about Chii-chan, everyone likes you", Kanna interrupted.

"No", Chii said, shaking her head, "I don't talk…people find that scary and try to ignore me, make me go away…even…even Yui is scared sometimes…I can tell".

Kanna felt heart broken as she saw tears welling up in the younger girl's eyes.

"That's why I like him", she said looking at the dog in her lap, "Animals don't use words…so he's not scared… but Yui doesn't like animals so I had to hide him from her, and from everyone else……… I thought, that if I could make something like him, something that wasn't scared of me, that wouldn't make Yui afraid…then maybe no one would be scared of me either…".

Kanna's heart was melting and she just wanted to gather the poor girl into a crushing hug at how adorable, if slightly unusual, her story was.

"You wanted to protect your family, without them fearing your desires", Ryu spoke up, his voice strangely thick with an emotion Kanna couldn't place, and something that in another she might have called empathy stirring behind his icy blue eyes.

Chii looked at him, nodding hesitantly.

"That's a good goal to have", he said quietly, looking down at the puppy in Chii's arms, "What is his name?"

Chii hugged the small animal closer for a moment as if fearing Ryu would try to take him away from her, looking more like a young girl than Kanna had ever seen her behave before.

"…Chiho-chan", she answered after a moment, the snow-white puppy yapping as if to confirm what she had said.

Ryu cocked his head as if mulling her choice over for a moment before nodding, reaching out and scratching the dog behind one tiny ear.

"Good choice", he said, shocking them all by offering a thin smile before reaching up and patting Chii gently on the head, "I'm sure you'll take as good a care of him as you do the rest of us Chii-chan".

The dim lighting and Chii's naturally dark complexion were the only things that hid the light blush that came to the young girl's cheeks at that moment.

Her wide emerald eyes blinked as he retracted his hand, standing and stretching as the other girls did likewise, both girls regarding him. Ayu with an open smile and Kanna with a look of astonishment.

"Maybe he's human after all", she heard the dark haired girl mutter to herself as she stood, Chiho still held loosely in her arms as they wound their way back to the stairway.

"By the way, Chii-chan", Kanna asked as they closed the door to the basement behind them, "How did you get in and out of the basement in the first place?"

Balancing Chiho on one arm, the blond girl fished around inside her pocket for a second before removing the small metallic item she had used to gain entry that night, and every night before that.

"Key", she said simply, holding it aloft for all of them to see.

Chii blinked slowly and Chiho yapped inquisitively when the others collectively face faulted.

"Figures", Kanna said around a fit of giggles after the absurdly simple nature of Chii's lock picking skills had fully permeated into her mind, soon joined by Ayu as the same thing occurred to the blue haired girl.

Ryu smirked but held off from laughing.

_Laughing…Chii made everyone…happy?_

As Chiho barked and yapped at all the sudden noises, wriggling in her arms, Chii did something she had only rarely done in her life before this day.

Chii smiled.

* * *

---Author's Notes---

Yes it was a sappy, corny ending, but even minor characters need love, and this was essentially filler anyway. So what do we have here then, character development for Chii, the ongoing silent battle between Kanna and Ayu that they still don't really know they're fighting, more hints about Ryu and another glimpse into how he thinks, and the addition of this generation of guests' mascot, Chiho-chan.

Coming next: Chapter 9: Secrets at the Beach; it's time for a vacation, and the newest generation of Hinata Sou residents are taking part in a time honoured tradition, the working holiday! Between work, play and more beach-bunnies than you can shake a stick at, Ryu is going to be hard pressed to continue his search and finish all of his catch up homework in time, but he might just learn something about one of the girls that can point him in the right direction…

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell (who can't believe his filler chapter took up 18 pages on Word)


	10. Chapter 9: Secrets at the Beach: Pt 1

**A/N:** This chapter is was near thirty pages long, so I've split it into two for ease of reading

Chapter Nine: Secrets at the Beach: Part One

Ryu stretched lazily and looked out of the window of the oversized personal coach Mizuki had provided them all with as the streamed down the highway, counting signs out of shear boredom.

He had been a resident at the Hinata Sou for a few months now and his search had turned up absolutely zip, nil, nothing, zero to the power of itself.

It wasn't through lack of trying on his behalf, he had scoured that building from top to bottom on multiple occasions and every time he had come up dry.

He was beginning to wonder if his information was false, perhaps the informant had been mislead or the data was simply outdated and the sword had been moved to another location…

No, he couldn't allow himself to believe that, otherwise it made this whole 'adventure' a pointless and distracting waste of time.

Looking around he spotted Kanna, perched on the edge of her seat next to a small table, a number of heavy looking textbooks in front of her as she scribbled down notes on a black piece of paper, her look of pinched concentration rather…cute, after a fashion.

Ryu had long since given up trying to deny he found Kanna attractive. It was a fruitless endeavour and required far too much mental energy to pull off even vaguely successfully.

Besides he was only human after all.

Even dressed in a fairly unspectacular fashion, you could tell what lay beneath, Kanna just had one of those bodies that defied attempts to hide or minimise her curves.

As he had a number of times since this trip began, he found himself idly wondering what she would look like in a swimsuit…

A sharp rap to the skull cleared the image; only to have it replaced seconds later by an upset looking Ayu.

He still couldn't think too long about one girl without finding thoughts of the other intruding at some point.

He swallowed as a picture of a delicately blushing Ayu, clad in a bikini fluttered into his mind for a second.

Now just where had that come from, he wondered, casting a glance further back to where Ayu sat next to Chii and Yui, the former trying her best to keep up a conversation with the blue haired girl, not because Ayu was talking to quickly, but because she was still getting used to verbalising her thoughts beyond one or two word sentences.

On her lap, Chiho yapped and keened in time with his mistress' responses, as if offering encouragement or supporting what she said.

Ryu had to stifle a grin when he saw Yui. The tanned older woman was sitting as far back from Chiho as her chair would allow, eying him as if he would lunge for her throat at any moment. Needless to say it was a pleasantly amusing image to see Yui acting nervous for once.

His eyes came back to Ayu.

She was pretty after a fashion he supposed, and unbelievably cute and sweet, though set along side the other residents she would seem rather plain to the casual observer.

She noticed him watching and blushed, looking down at her lap for a moment before offering him a shy smile.

Even in her current state, such things failed to pass by Yui, and she grinned wickedly, whispering something to the younger girl that had her hiding her face from him.

Yui yelped and shrank back as Chiho barked at her, mistaking her suddenly relaxed and open posture as meaning she wanted to play with him. Ryu shook his head, turning away to find Kanna looking at him pointedly.

"What?", he asked when she didn't break gaze.

"Don't you think you have more important things to do than drool over us, pervert", she said, jabbing at her notes with the end of her pencil.

He scowled, reminded now of the small mountain of catch up assignments he still had to plough through. Yet another thing that was taking up precious time he could have been using to search for the sword.

"If you recall, I didn't want to come here in the first place", he reminded her, and it was true.

When Ema had first suggested it, while the girls had been ecstatic, he had politely declined, offering the excuse that someone had to stay behind to feed Chiho-chan.

Ema had shot down that outlet by informing him that they were taking him with them, much to Yui's dismay and Chii's reserved happiness.

He had argued briefly with them, but seven to one odds are favourable to no man, especially in these circumstances, and they had worn him down bit by bit.

If he was honest, it was Yui's veiled hints that Kanna had brought a new swimsuit just for this trip that finally swayed him, but his dignity refused to allow him to acknowledge that consciously.

All thanks to Yui, he had found many a night before they had left, spent musing over just what Kanna had brought as best as his limited knowledge in the area would allow, and picturing how it might luck.

Of course come morning he would feel thoroughly sickened with himself, as if his teenaged body had betrayed him, but such is life.

Add these new dreams about Ayu into the mix and his nights were becoming increasingly restless.

Returning to the present he found Kanna giving him another of _those_ looks. Not her familiar 'I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born' looks, but something new that had surfaced over the past month. A sullen, resigned kind of look, tinged with hurt and sadness.

He had been treated to this new expression in place of shouting and threats of violence on a small number of occasions, and now, as it had then, it never failed to leave him feeling guilty and uneasy.

Without another word passing between them, Kanna returned to her studies, her silence the final nail in the coffin as far as conversation between them was concerned for the remainder of the ride.

Ryu sighed, a popular pastime since he had become a resident at the Hinata Sou, allowing himself to roam around the suddenly limited space of the coach, settling upon the little gathering he could just make out at the front of the vehicle.

Mizuki and Natsuki were sitting in the front passenger seats under the pretence of keeping Ema company as she drove, but really it was just so Mizuki could hang out of the window in case her travel sickness kicked in.

He wondered how Ema felt about taking yet another vacation. The female landlord had gone with Natsuki to visit her family in Okinawa not too long ago, and had returned with a host of stories regarding the many, many times she had mistaken Natsuki for either her Mother, or older sister.

Natsuki's mother, or "The Baby Machine", as she had been referred to by Ema, had a rather large family, and within that group, an unusual trait had developed amongst the women.

That is to say, that if one were to meet Natsuki, her mother and sister without ever having been previously introduced, one might mistake them for sisters, triplets in fact.

According to Ema the only way to tell them all apart was by their hairstyles, and it didn't help that Mutsumi would often mimic her mother's hairstyle, and occasionally her clothes as well.

The matriarch of the Otohime line might as well have cloned herself when it came to the girls she had given birth to, each one of the many sisters growing up to match her almost identically in figure, complexion and even personality by the time they hit their twentieth year.

Ryu couldn't even begin to fathom how one woman could give birth to the number of children he had been quoted, let alone retain the youthful looks and superb figure she passed along to her daughters.

Despite a number of misadventures and having to put up with unwanted attention of Mutsumi's husband's bachelor best friend, Ema had seemed to enjoy her time off, so that might have been why she had decided a similar round of R and R was just the thing for he and the girls.

When he had finally agreed to come along in the end, Ema had informed them all that in addition to the travelling expenses which were being taken care of courtesy of Mizuki, money in and of itself would not be something they had to greatly concern themselves with over the course of the trip, and not only this, but she had personally guaranteed that they would not be lacking for things to do once they reached their destination.

It was true that Ryu was a rather cautious man by nature, but surely anyone would have been wary of such a 'once in a lifetime' offer.

When he had attempted to grill her on the specifics however he had been shouted down by Kanna, who was all to eager to get going then and there if it had been possible.

He supposed it did seem a little odd that he should keep trying to poke holes in such an unexpected and potentially benefical offer, but still…

If everything was fine, and they seemed set for a carefree vacation in the sun…

Ryu turned back to the window, counting one more sign as it streaked by.

If everything seemed so wonderful, then why did he have such a deep sense of foreboding?

_

* * *

This, this would be why, he thought as the baggage-laden group drew to a halt in front of a weathered old single story structure that had obviously seen better days._

There was an unmistakeable vibe of suspicion in the air, radiating toward their sweating manager as she spotted the questioning looks being sent her way.

"Please tell me we're not staying here", Yui was the first to voice what the others were too polite to say.

"No, no, not here", Ema assured them, though it would have worked better without the nervous head scratching, "We are definitely not staying here…".

"Right…So, what are we doing here?", Kanna asked, noticing the pause the older woman had left that indicated there was more than she was telling.

"Well, um, you see, the thing is…", Ema began unconsciously playing with one of her hair ribbons.

"Yeeeessssss", Kanna had to stop herself from tapping her foot impatiently.

"Remember how I said money wouldn't be an issue on this vacation?", she was sweating heavily now as everyone leaned in a little closer.

"I think we recall words to that effect, yes", Ryu had the feeling he was about to be proved right about something, but he wouldn't like it when he was…in fact, he didn't believe any of them would.

"Well, you see, this place is owned by a member of the family who gave me control of the Hinata Sou, since both places are owned by the same family, they said they'd pay for this trip, but in return…", she paused, eying all the intent faces, her throat suddenly feeling very dry, "…in return we are all going to work here over our vacation".

There was a brittle silence.

"Work?", Mizuki and Yui said as one, their deadpan tones identical.

Chii and Chiho looked at each other, the former shrugging and getting a firmer grip on her backpack while her pet wagged his tail, oblivious to the souring mood around him as he took in al the strange new smells.

"What kind of vacation is it when you have to work", Kanna added, adopting the hands on hips pose that Ryu was all too familiar with.

It was interesting viewing it from the outside, rather than being the one it was directed at…

_I knew this was too good to be true_, he lament, wincing as he felt the weight of his assignments tugging at the strings of the bag over his shoulder.

Now he would have even less time to complete them. 'Fun' he could shrug off like ducks do water, but if Ema had signed them all up as employees, his personal sense of ethics probably wouldn't let him off the hook so easily.

He folded his arms to watch the situation between Kanna an Ema play out, while Yui and Mizuki sulked and Chii played idly with Chiho, showing a complete lack of interest in the proceedings.

"I don't think it will be so bad", Ayu spoke up, shrinking a little when everyone turned to look at her with varying expressions, "Ano…I, mean…well we're still going to be one the beach all day…technically".

She had a point, the structure was located at the head of the sandy shore, and probably served as a café for the beach goers, so in one way, they would still get their time in the sun with all the others, just not in the way any of them had envisioned.

Unfortunately for Ayu, though the others were all thinking the same thing as Ryu, save perhaps Chii who was playing fetch with Chiho with a piece of drift wood, she had just made herself out to be a co-conspirator, and thus public enemy number one in her friends' eyes.

She shrank back behind Ryu; smiling out from behind his back in what she hoped was a placating fashion.

Eventually everyone went back to their own private thoughts, though Kanna's eyes seemed to linger on him and Ayu a moment longer than the rest, something indecipherable churning behind her brown orbs before she resumed what was basically dressing down Ema with respectful overtones.

He cast a glance back at Ayu who was still absently clinging to the back of his white t-shirt as she watched the group more or less degenerate into chaos.

A shrill whistle had everyone in the area clamping their hands over their ears, and Chiho whimpering with his paws over his head for a moment.

When the ringing sensation faded, Natsuki clapped her hands together, her disposition deceptively sweet for someone who had just used a rather unconventional method of gathering attention.

"Ara, gomen minna-san", she apologised, smiling brightly.

"Are you really sorry?", Ryu asked, still trying to clear his head.

"Awww, don't be so grumpy Ryu-kun", she chastised him, her choice of words setting both Kanna and even Ayu giggling behind their hands as he snorted and folded his arms again, relaxing into a disinterested pose.

"Oh, I know!", Natsuki said, her hands clasped together in front of her chest as if she had just had the most wonderful idea, and Ema had the disorientating triple vision of three Natsuki's only the other two didn't look exactly like the girl in front of her, "How about I introduce you all to the manager to get you used to the idea of working here".

Kanna was of course the first one to voice the question they were all thinking, "Um, Natsuki, I thought Ema was going to be in charge?".

"Actually, no", Ema admitted sheepishly, "I just got permission from the current manager for you all to help out while we're here".

"Well, if it's not you", Yui said, one arm draped across her waist while the hand of the other was perched under her chin, "Then who is in charge of this dump?"

Kanna shivered as a number of nightmare scenarios went through her mind where the manager was a small, greasy man with a wandering eye and similarly afflicted hands.

She almost choked when one of those imaginings ended in Ryu riding to the rescue like some sort of fairytale hero.

"Kanna?", the boy in question asked, having moved up to the front of the group with Ayu in tow while she had been distracted.

She turned slightly away from them, hoping neither would notice her sudden blush.

"Oi! If you're not going to come in them clear off! You're scaring away my customers!", a loud voice saved her from having to answer.

Standing in front of the wooden structure, an apron on that identified her as a staff member and a long toothpick clasped between her teeth like a cigarette, was a fairly attractive blond. Perhaps one or two years younger than Ema, she was more developed than the older woman, but shared her weakness for childish indulgence, her hair tied up in two bunches high on either side of her head.

He pose was slightly tomboyish, but it fit the overall air she gave off, and her eyes reminded him of Yui's for some reason. Not in shape and certainly not colour, for they were closer to his own in that respect, but that calculating look as if she were evaluating them all and judging how best to make use of them.

He stiffened a little as her gaze swept over him without even pausing, and lingering on Yui and Chii as if the older woman had seen something she didn't expect, or run into someone she had thought dead, before finally settling on Ema.

"Yo! Washboard chest?", Ema smiled sickly and waved half heartedly while the girls and Ryu looked between her and this new woman as she jogged over to them.

"Heh, it really is you, I wasn't expecting you when I got a call from the Dork saying the new manager wanted to bring the newbies down here on vacation", the blond was clearly a gaijin now that he could see her up close, but her Japanese bespoke of someone who had lived in the country for a great portion of their life.

"That's right, I'm the manager of the Hinata Sou now", Ema responded.

"Really? You?", the newcomer asked, clearly not expecting that answer.

"Please don't say it like that", Ema whined, unknowingly fiddling with one of her ribbons again.

"Yeah, my bad. So, did you get into Toudai in the end?", she asked as they carried on a conversation like the others weren't even there.

"Well, yeah, but I never did figure out what to do with my degree in the end, so I sort of fell into managing the dorms", Ema admitted, unaware that her confidence rating amongst the group had gone both right up, and way back down during the course of that sentence.

Finally she seemed to remember that she and the other woman weren't the only ones present, flustering for a moment before regaining control of herself and clearing her throat, gesturing to the others.

"Everyone, this is Sara Noriyasu, she owns and runs this place, she's the person I was talking about before, she was adopted into the family that owns the Hinata Sou and this place when her adoptive father married the former landlord's aunt", Ema said, seeing their confusion as to just how many times Sara had been adopted into varying families.

"I guess that explains why she doesn't look it but has a Japanese surname", Kanna thought aloud, gulping as she realised she'd said something that could be considered rude or even offensive by the recipient.

"Don't worry about it kid", Sara replied, waving off her apology, considering Kanna as if she was trying to place her face in her memory, her expression flickering with recognition as something clicked, "Families are about more than blood".

Ryu noticed the way her face tightened for a second as if remembering something painful. Just when and why had she first been adopted? And why did she look at Kanna and Ayu meaningfully as she had said that?

Neither girl seemed to have noticed but it tickled at the back of his mind, something about Ayu and Kanna together…

"Sara, this is Mizuki Sekata", Ema said, beginning the second round of introductions, the girl in question bowing.

"Sekata?", she looked the girl over, particularly noting her slit like eyes, "You mean Konno actually-"

"Moving on", Ema said, wondering how Sara managed a business without picking up at least a little tact, "The two tanned girls are Yui and Chii Su".

Sara's eyes seemed to light up and she grinned in a way that left Yui wondering if she was having an out of body experience, "They're Kaolla's kids?"

"Chii is", Ema said, smiling as Chii bowed with Chiho held loosely in his arms, the young puppy not seeming to mind that his legs were dangling down unsupported as his mistress held him beneath his armpits, "Yui is Amala's daughter".

Sara scrutinised the older of the pair, "Yeah, I see it now, she has Amala's hair, that weird silvery colour".

"Sara!"

"What?"

Ema just shook her head, "Nothing, moving on we have-"

"Ayu and Kanna, am I right?", she had to resist the urge to laugh when both girls gapped at her like she was some sort of psychic.

"H-how could you?", Ayu stuttered.

"I read your mind", Sara said flippantly, finding it really hard to hold in a smile.

"What?", Kanna asked incredulously.

"I'm kidding, jeez, I see you got your old man's brains", she directed this at Kanna, a noticeable undertone of disgust present that Kanna didn't care for. Before she could respond, Ema whispered something urgently in her friend's ear.

"You've got to be kidding me!", the volume of Sara's response shocked them as much as the intensity but a few more words from Ema seemed to quiet them even if they did nothing about the anger that seethed behind her blue eyes for a moment before she composed herself.

"…Right, ok, sorry about that crack kid, lets just say I'm still mad at your dad about something from a while back and leave it at that, ok?", Kanna wondered why she had glimpsed at Ayu as she spoke, but agreed.

If they were going to be working for this person, ill will would only make the time drag and take away any fun they experienced.

"Oh, and I know your mom in case you're wondering", she added; now addressing Ayu directly.

"And this is Natsuki Otohime", Ema said, realising she had forgotten to introduce the other girl.

Sara did a double take, "You mean she's not Mutsumi?"

Ema smiled weakly having recently experience the same sensation as her friend was going through.

Sara shook her head; Mutsumi had one hell of a big and very weird family.

Finally she realised that they were still waiting on one introduction, typical of Ema to miss the person who stood out the most.

The only male in the group, with bright blond air atop clearly Japanese features and icy blue eyes, he certainly stuck out in a crowd.

Her recent thoughts still fresh in her mind, Sara stared down at him like a new and particularly slimy species of insect, which didn't seem to faze him much beyond a slight narrowing of the eyes.

"Who's the dork?", she asked, pleased when he jerked a little, glaring over his back when Kanna sniggered.

"Ah, this is Ryuuya Kisame, he joined us a few months ago looking for somewhere to stay when he transferred schools", Ema explained.

"What is it about that place that attracts a guy only when there are a large number of girls living there alone?", Sara mused out loud.

"Pheromones?", Yui guessed idly, winking at Ryu and blowing him a kiss when she noticed both Ayu and Kanna stiffen in response.

"Please don't tell me this is going to be a repeat of what happened with the Dork", Sara whispered to Ema, to which the other woman could only shrug and remind her that she hadn't been there when all that had been going on.

"Ok, Spike listen up", she said, deciding on a random nickname to use rather than his real name, "While we're here, I expect you to be a perfect gentleman around these girls, you got that? Anything funny and I'll put you into orbit myself".

"Whatever", he said, staring back at her evenly.

"I mean it junior, just one foot out of line around me an _pow_!", she snacked her hand with her fist, "You got me?".

"Don't flatter yourself", he smirked as she gaped for a second.

"Ok, I think those are enough introductions for today", Ema interrupted as she saw her friend building up to something, Ayu and Kanna each giving Ryu silent signals to 'Shut the hell up', in their own fashions, "What's say we go in and get everything else sorted so we can check into our hotel…ok?".

* * *

The sound of playful female laughter rang like a clear morning bell in the warm air, carried away without a care on a gentle breeze.

Water splashed and trickled across the bare skin of bikini clad beauties as the frolicked and chased each other amongst the surf, occasionally tossing a beach ball or Frisbee between them.

Further back their boyfriends watched the whole proceeding with interest, occasionally one of them leaving his fellows as he was called over to assist in the play.

It was a happy, carefree time for all concerned…

Inside the Beachside Café, Ryu and co sulked in silence as yet another wonderful day passed them by, able only to watch, but never to partake in the fun.

They had been shocked to learn that their work schedule had already been drawn up in one night by Ema and Sara, the former of which it seemed was to be co-manager during her stay, which was another way of saying she didn't actually have to do anything.

The assignment of positions worked thusly; on the shop floor, would be Kanna, Mizuki and Yui, all acting as waitresses, bussing tables, taking orders, and generally acting cute and cheerful for the customers, even if they all wanted to strangle Ema.

At the cash register were Chii and Natsuki, the former ringing up the charges and coping with the bills, while the later, in Sara's words, took the sting out of the charge, and finally, there was Ayu in the kitchen, with Ryu relegated to acting as her assistant and trash collector/disposer.

Kanna had liked this set up when she had first heard about it, mainly because it would serve as a humbling experience for Ryu, and that stuck up jerk needed humbling. However, shortly after she had also realised that it would mean he spent all day around Ayu, the small blue haired girl who Kanna was nowadays more or less convinced liked him but was too shy to act on it…but if they were alone together all that time…

)))_"Ayu-chan", Ryu whispered as he held Ayu's mit clad hands in his own, leaning closer._

"_Sempai…", the blue haired girl closed her eyes, pursing her lips…_(((

"Gah! Nooooooo", Kanna blushed when she noticed the strange stares she was receiving from her patrons, bowing quickly and heading off in the other direction.

Why the hell should she care if the big jerk liked Ayu back, wasn't like he was _her_ boyfriend or anything right?

_Right_, Kanna agreed with herself, wondering why she still didn't feel any better.

It was just because she had been able to relax properly yet; she assured herself, that was all. It had nothing to do with Ayu, and certainly nothing to do with that big moron.

Still, out of concern for her friend, she had argued against the current assignments in the end, but Sara had vetoed her, claiming she didn't want Ryu out in the open scaring all her customers, and as Ayu was the best cook amongst them all, that left only one real choice of who was going to end up back there with him all day.

Kanna had reluctantly agreed to the logic of it all, but there was one thing she still didn't really get.

"What…The …Hell, was she thinking with these outfits!", Kanna grumbled, looking down at her bikini top and bottoms covered by a sarong and a small apron with the Café's logo on it.

"Hey! Less talking more working!", Sara shouted from the table she and Ema sat at, the landlord offering her tenant an apologetic look for the other woman's behaviour.

"Stupid old witch", Kanna muttered. She had liked this woman when she had been taunting Ryu, but she was a stern taskmaster…no, perhaps slave-driver would be more accurate.

She took one more look at her waitress attire. Yui and Mizuki seemed to have no problem with it, though in Yui's case that might be because it wasn't all that different from what she usually wore, in fact with the apron covering her mid-rift it actually concealed her body _more_ than her day to day wear did.

Well, at least on the plus side Ryu hadn't seen her dressed like this.

_No, because you want to surprise him on the beach don't you?_, a snide voice in the back of her head asked, almost causing her to deposit the milkshake she was carrying straight into the customers lap.

That just wasn't true, there was nothing out of the ordinary about her bikini she had just needed something new this year, that was all.

_Sure, cause you've always had a thing for tiny red bikini's when it came to your choice in swimwear haven't you_, the voice continued to taunt and Kanna felt herself turning almost the same shade as said garment.

To drive it's point home, it replayed her memories of her former choices, all of them drab and functional, and all of them one-piece's.

Kanna froze as she felt something brushing against the back of her thy.

Her embarrassment was quickly ushered aside by her old friend anger as she gripped her serving tray tightly between both hands.

_A groper_

_THWACK!_

The boy responsible saw stars before he passed out, his head now sporting a rather colourful bruise and a large lump.

"Oh dear, clumsy me", Kanna said with a disarming laugh as his friends looked on at her in horror, "Now, what was your order?"

When no one answered, she told them she'd give them some time to decide, moving on to the next table and feeling a whole lot better than she had in days.

_Trust Ryu to get the easy job_, she thought, but with a whole lot less venom than she might have a few minutes ago.

* * *

Ryu rubbed his world weary eyes as they blurred, trying to focus himself on the task at hand…or rather, the tasks, plural.

He was chopping up a head of lettuce for whatever Ayu planned to do with it, while next to the chopping board he had an open history textbook, a piece of paper and a pencil resting on the opposite page to the one he was reading.

Every now and again, he would set down the knife and jot down part of the answer he was currently working on, before going back to the first task as he scanned the text for more to reply with.

Hopefully he wasn't holding things up too much, and Ayu hadn't complained yet, but it was either this or doing it after they finished for the day, when no of them particularly felt like doing anything.

Not exactly an attitude conductive to study.

Between the hours spent doing shifts, travelling to and from the hotel, and the more mundane things such as eating and sleeping, not to mention doing these blasted assignments, even he was beginning to lament the lack of fun taking place on this trip.

When his vision threatened to blur once more, Ryu resigned himself to the fact that this was all he was going to get done today, so he might as well focus on his actually job.

He wondered if he should put on some music.

Kanna had presented him with a small personal radio made by Chii he guessed as he couldn't find a logo, and didn't really see her going out of her way to buy him something without a reason.

The why of it still eluded him, as did the reason she had been blushing like a tomato the whole time and had taken nearly twenty minutes since she had called him up to the laundry annex to give it to him.

She had told him that Kei had informed her of his 'love of music', whatever that meant, and so seen as how he didn't have anything like that she was aware of, she had gotten it for him.

He had accepted and thanked her, to which she had told him not to read anything into it and then contradicted herself in his by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and telling him to take good care of it before leaving him standing up there alone, radio in hand.

As he lifted the earphones to his ears, he spotted a slither of blue out of the corner of one eye.

Ayu was looking at him through slightly glazed eyes, her lower lip caught in between her teeth as if she were thinking hard on something.

She had been doing that a lot recently, staring into space around him, or hovering nearby as if she wanted to ask something, but never actually doing so.

"Do you need any help?", he asked, breaking her trance.

"Hmmm? Oh, no sempai, just thinking", she said, returning to her duties without another word, but occasionally casting glances at him and blushing furiously, although that was probably just from the heat of the kitchen.

Shrugging to himself philosophically, Ryu donned his earphones, allowing the music that issued forth to carry him away from the tedium of his task like the tides of the sea.

* * *

"Ah, now this is more like it!", Yui sighed as she immersed herself in the wonderfully refreshing water of the outdoor hot spring. She rested her arms on the cool stone of the almost amphitheatre like structure that surrounded the bathes, briefly wondering what kind of cash she could make if she sold tickets for those ancient seats right now.

"Yeah, I was thinking we'd never get a chance to do anything fun with blond and bossy in charge", Mizuki agreed, slipping in next to her friend.

"Come on give Sara a break, she's actually a nice girl once you get to know her", Ema voiced from over where her and Natsuki were sitting.

"I'll believe it when I see it", Yui called back, looking around and spotting Ayu and Kanna sitting together, an awkward silence prevalent between the two friends.

Now that just wouldn't do, this was a holiday after all, even if it didn't really seem like one.

"Why so down Kanna-chan", she asked, sidling up to her younger friend and throwing an arm around her shoulders big sister style, "Upset that you still haven't gotten a chance to show off the goods for Ryu-kun?"

"Yui!", she shouted indignantly her cheeks flushing.

"What, we all know that's why you brought that bikini, am I right? No shame in it, he is cute", she continued, ignoring Kanna's attempts to get out of her grasp.

"Better be quick though, never know when so other girl might swoop in while you're still dithering around…", she warned, unable to keep her comment serious however, "…right, Ayu-chan?".

"Me? I…that is…sempai…", she sunk lower into the water so that the bottom of her face was submerged and thus covered.

"You see what you've done now?", Kanna saw her chance to break away from Yui, putting comforting hand on Ayu's shoulders, "Leave her alone, no one is interested in that pervert".

_But sempai isn't a pervert, and I am!_, Ayu shouted in her mind, saddened that she couldn't bring herself to come to Ryu's defence out loud and sinking a little lower.

Misinterpreting her behaviour, Kanna gave Yui a dirty look that she simply shrugged off, standing in the shallow water and striking an impressive pose, seemingly oblivious to the fact she was naked and that this place didn't offer much in the way of fencing.

"It has become clear to me that this little party is lacking in the vacation spirit!", she declared, Mizuki and Natsuki cheering her on, while Ayu, Kanna, Ema and Chii just watched in silence.

"And we all know who is to blame! That witch has been driving us like her personal task force ever since we got here!", Ema seemed a little relieved that she wasn't the one being blamed, while Natsuki and Chii just watched Yui's escalating antics and Mizuki, Ayu and Kanna seemed to somewhat agree with her, the former more openly than the other two, "I say it's time we strike back, who's with me!".

"Yay! Go Yui-chan!", Mizuki called, whistling and clapping as Yui took a bow.

"Surely she's not all that bad"

"Bad, you have no…", Yui trailed off as they all turned to look as the steam lifted to reveal Sara leaning back against a rock a little further into the hot spring, her arms folded behind her head as she grinned at Yui's slack jawed expression.

"Hi kids", she said with a wave, standing and _splosh-_ing over to them and finding a new seat while Yui just stared, "Mind if I join in the conversation? Please, carry on".

"I…erm…", Yui seemed at a loss for words for once, something which had her cousin smiling to herself as it did the others that weren't still shocked by the older woman's sudden appearance.

"What? My dad always taught me that reconnaissance is the most vital part of any undertaking, ironic seen as how he was one of the most clueless men I've ever known at times. If his heart wasn't usually in the right place I think mom would have off-ed him years ago", she smiled to wistfully, "I still miss him at times, it's been far to long since I last visited them".

Kanna was a little surprised, she couldn't figure out why that description sounded so familiar to her.

"I suppose I need to take a break for a while…speaking of, you girls should be happy to know I'm assigning you all two days leisure time in about a week or so, you can thank Ema for that, she reminded me of all my stories about this place from when I was a kid, and how much I enjoyed myself, so I suppose it's only far seen as she didn't actually tell any of you what you were getting yourself into before hand", Ema smiled sheepishly and apologised once more, "Anyway, spend your time however you want, I'll sort out your wages for the time you've worked so far ready for then, just come by the café at the start of the first day and I'll hand everybody what they are owed. Just remember to come quickly, I don't want to waste any of my time off either, there's a stretch of sand with my name on it out there somewhere and I intend to find it as soon as possible".

That had a number of the girls smiling, even Yui now that she had finally recovered.

Ema frowned as something occurred to her, "Sara, what about Ryu-kun?"

"Someone needs to watch the shop I guess", she replied trying to sound casual.

"Sara!"

"Fine, fine, I suppose he can have the time off as well", Sara, mock grumbled as if she were making a huge concession, carefully keeping half an eye on Ayu and Kanna's expressions.

It was clear they were both thinking about the young man who had caught their eye, probably trying to plan out a day or two with him, completely unaware that the other was doing exactly the same thing.

She wondered if they knew how much they were alike in some ways.

"It's not the same thing Sara", Ema whispered when she noticed where her friend was looking, "Besides, that was all resolved in the end, everyone is happy now".

"Can you really say that when they don't know?", Sara answered seriously, looking once more over at where Yui was mercilessly teasing her younger friends with Mizuki's aid and even Natsuki's unwitting commentary.

"Don't know what?", an inflectionless voice asked, startling both women.

"C-Chii-chan! How long have you been there?", Ema asked.

Despite her advances in communication and her growing relationship with all of the members of the Hinata Sou, Chii still had a tendency to fade into the background unless she wished otherwise.

"Not long", she answered, her voice solemn but her emerald eyes inquisitive.

"Do you mind going and playing with the others for a moment kiddo, me and Ema need to talk about something", Sara asked, rather surprised when the young girl only stared at them silently for a moment, as if she could pull their thoughts to the surface and read them, before nodding soundlessly and joining in the fray.

Sara had not expected the daughter of her oldest friend to give in to a request to ignore new information so easily, but a quick check revealed no hidden mics in the area like Su might have left behind.

"Strange girl", Sara murmured.

"Yes, but she is getting better", Ema offered, having heard her anyway, "…Sara, they're both happy, and both in love, so why not leave them alone for now ne?"

"…I suppose I can do that, it still makes me a little mad at times you know? I once thought they were just like each other", Sara sad, still feeling foolish for having ever made that comparison.

"They were, and still are…don't give me that look, they _are_. No one could have predicted what would happen under those circumstances and you know it", Ema said in hushed tones.

"Everyone makes mistakes right?", Sara said a little bitterly.

"Yes, they do…and if you're lucky they'll spend an entire life time trying to make up for them, just like he did"

"So…they're still in love?"

"Very much so last I heard? You should know that nothing is going to separate those two for long", a profound quiet settled upon the two women as they watched the younger generation laugh and play in the soothing waters of the hot spring.

"…So", Sara was the first to break the silence, "Tell me about the new guy".

* * *

You know how when you are particularly looking forward to an event, the time seems to drag on and on forever, each second becoming a minute, every minute an hour and so forth?

Well an interesting thing occurs when your dream 'event' is tempered by nervousness, or the possibility that it could all turn out miserably. As the days pass and the number of possible mistakes or failures on your behalf multiples within your imagination, the reverse of this effect begins to assert itself.

Hours fly by so fast they should have been issued speeding tickets, and the day ends before you can fully agree it has begun.

This effect is universal, a unique quirk of the human perception of what we call 'time', proof perhaps of its factious or irrelevant nature in the grand scheme of things.

Regardless, it applies to all of us, no more so than two young women, each with a plan that would come into motion far faster than either expected, arguably faster than they believed themselves ready for.

Of course, the universe is under no obligation to assist and has every right to intervene.

As was the case here.

* * *

Ayu was nervous, more so than she had ever been. Even for such a timid girl, she managed to get through the average day without shaking, even with Ryu around on a good day.

Today however was different, today was the day she was finally going to ask him about the date she had been fantasising about for nearly a month now, the one that she had previously kept telling herself she would ask him about 'tomorrow'.

Well no more. She would never get a more perfect chance than this, and she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers this time.

Swallowing the bile that rose in her throat, she schooled herself to calmness as best as she was able, walking up to the door of Ryu's hotel room at a steady, even pace.

_You can do this_, she told herself, reaching out to knock his door with one trembling hand, _Just knock and…_

"Ayu-chan?"

Ayu spun to fast, almost falling but being caught by the person who had called her name.

"Are you ok Ayu?", Kanna asked as her friend found her feet again, still seeming a little shaky.

"Y-yes, I'm f-fine, _ahem_, just fine Kanna-chan", she replied, praying that for once Kanna would just believe that and leave.

"Uh-huh", it was clear she didn't, "Well, I'll just wake the big jerk up and we'll go find somewhere for you to sit down for a while".

"You came to see sempai?", Ayu found herself asking before she could stop herself.

"Eh? No, no, I just came to make sure he's up, that's all. Sara said we have to come by as early as possible after all hahahaahaha", she hoped Ayu didn't notice how much she was sweating. In truth she had come to see if she could cajole Ryu into spending the day at the beach with her… just to be sociable, that was all, Ryu wasn't exactly the most tanned of boys and his idea of fun… come to think of it, she didn't know if Ryu understood the concept of 'fun'.

"I see…", Ayu said slowly.

"If you're looking for Ryu-kun, he already left", a smug new voice interjected, causing both girls to jump.

"W-what?", Kanna managed to get out when she realised who was talking.

"He's already gone", Yui repeated, watching both girls lest they betray their disappointment.

Kanna was doing a passable job, but Ayu looked positively crestfallen for a moment.

"Why so early?", Kanna asked, gulping when she realised she had just reminded Yui that _they_ were here rather earlier than normal social visiting times would suggest polite or appropriate.

"No idea, he said something about wanting to get everything taken care of as soon as possible, because he had things he needed to do, and then he took off, that was a little while ago", Yui explained.

"Oh", both girls looked a little disappointed this time.

"Wait, how do you know all this?", Kanna asked.

"Well now", Yui said, stretching in a way that showed off her every advantage, especially in the light morning robe she wore, "That's between me and Ryu-kun now, isn't it?"

Ayu paled while Kanna worked her mouth without any sound coming out.

"I have to say though, he's kind of rough in the morning…not that that's a bad thing mind you", she smiled as if remembering something, keeping half an eye on her captive audience.

"Y-you, and s-sempai…", Ayu could bring herself to finish that sentence for which Kanna was grateful.

"She's just joking…right?", Kanna wasn't as sure as she was trying to sound.

"Hmmm, could be…", Yui trailed off mysteriously, managing to make it back to her and Chii's room before breaking down into peels of laughter.

Across the room, Chiho stirred on Chii's bed, lifting his head long enough to watch the rolling Molmolian woman, before returning to his slumber alongside his mistress.

Humans were strange.

* * *

--- Author Notes---

Part One complete


	11. Chapter 9: Secrets at the Beach: Pt 2

**A/N:** Part Two

Chapter Nine: Secrets at the Beach: Part Two

Ryu cracked the bones in his neck, wincing at the pain, but relieved as the tension vanished for a while amidst a series of _pop_s.

Hidden in the kitchen of the Café, he had textbooks and answer material spread out before him like the topography of some grand paper mountain range.

He had almost gotten out of the hotel scot-free, but Yui had spotted him before he could reach the lobby, presumably on her way back from the bathroom or some such, and cornered him.

Even half asleep you couldn't get past her if you didn't pay her the attention she was looking for, as Ryu had found out the hard way.

He had finally been forced to manhandle her aside with a brief explanation as to where he was going when the manager had happened upon them and requested that they return to their room to do "That sort of thing", apparently having assumed that he and Yui were a couple.

He had made her promise not to tell anyone the specifics, knowing that a vow of silence from Yui was impossible, but she could usually keep the details to herself if asked.

After being left to choice but to make a rather open ended promise to pay her back when he got chance, the lack conditions for which displayed both a great deal of haste and disturbing lack of forethought on his behalf.

Still he was out, free, and with any luck would be able to complete all this work in the allotted time and still have some left over afterward assuming he wasn't interrupted.

Sara had taken to calling him "Ryu-dobe", when he asked her about using the kitchen like this as equal parts library and hideaway, but had agreed as long as he remembered to lock up and return the keys to her when done.

He had already heard the other girls come and go, luckily none of them had asked Sara where he was as he had been unable to convince her to lie to them about his whereabouts, or even just to have told them she hadn't seen him since that morning, which was technically true.

Returning to his work, Ryu didn't notice how swiftly the time began to pass.

* * *

Ayu and Kanna were taking part in a race.

Not so much a race over a set distance, or within a set time, but a race to a goal, a goal that neither of them had the slightest clue as to how to find.

It was also a race they weren't entirely sure the other girl was actually part of, lending a kind of frantic air to the whole proceedings, which didn't fail to amuse and/or bewilder the onlookers as the two girls combed the hotel, and parts of the town during the early hours of the day.

Ayu sat down despondently upon the concrete wave barrier out by the beach, looking out over the sunny dunes and silently miserable that it looked as if she wouldn't be spending anytime with Ryu here or anywhere else for that matter.

If only she had some sort of clue, anything that might point to his whereabouts, but she had no such luck.

Even knowing Ryu as well as she thought she did, she couldn't predict where he might go if he didn't want to be found, and she was still uncertain as to why he would want to hide from them all on their vacation.

She was fairly certain he didn't dislike any of them, even Yui wasn't much more than an annoyance to him, and that was only when she was feeling…playful.

She found herself wondering how he would react if _she_ were more forward, and was unable to stop blushing until she promised herself she would do no such thing.

Ok, so he wasn't hiding because he hated them all, so what was it?

Dimly she remembered something he had told her. He had been complaining about all the assignments he had been given while she had been doing her best to stay interested seen as it was one of her still rare private conversations with him.

He had mentioned something…something important that could tell her where to find him if only she could remember it.

---_"At least it's quiet in here most of the time, I suppose that helps…"_---

Yes! That was it, he had said that about where they were at the time, the kitchen of the Beachside Café. Ayu could have slapped herself for missing something so obvious.

Too happy about her deduction to notice the butterflies in her stomach, Ayu raced off, one hand holding down her summer hat while her dress rippled in the breeze.

* * *

"Huh?", was Ryu's articulate question when he realised there was someone standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching him.

"Oh, it's you…did Yui tell you where to find me?", a shake of the head was his reply.

"Sara?", another shake.

He was quiet for a few moments, "I guess I should have known that there was at least one of you that could find me if she really wanted to, shouldn't I?".

A happy nod and a small smile this time.

"Sempai!", Ayu called as she entered the building, heading immediately for the open door to the kitchen, and coming to a halt as she registered what she had found.

She had been beaten.

"Make that two", he said rubbing his eyes, and setting down his pencil.

"Chii-chan?", Ayu asked, confused as to how and why the other, younger girl was here.

The small blond shuffled her feet for a moment before walking over to Ryu, one small hand tugging lightly on the back of his shirt to get his attention after it began drifting back to his books.

"Play", she said simply, looking up at him with solemn, yet hopeful emerald eyes.

Ayu sagged a little. No one could turn down a request that adorable, or at least she wouldn't have been able too in his position.

"Found…you", Kanna wheezed as she staggered through the door, taking a few moments to catch her breath before realising she wasn't alone with Ryu.

"Play", Chii repeated her request, tugging a little harder on his shirt as he cast an annoyed glance skyward.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice do I now that you've all found me", he said with a sigh, closing the textbook he was working on and standing, "Lead on Chii".

The young Molmolian girl nodded curtly, somewhat ruining her usually unflappable look with the blush that graced her cheeks as she took his hand and led him out between the two confused older girls.

Kanna was as usual the first to speak.

"…What the hell just happened?"

* * *

As it turned out, Chii had wanted Ryu to come down to the beach where the rest of the girls were currently residing while Kanna and Ayu had been looking for him. They had been good enough to bring along the girls bathing suits, though Yui had wanted to 'upgrade' Ayu's but had been told she couldn't by Sara, and if there was one person other than Chii that Yui might listen to, it was she.

Ryu was fine of course in his loose shirt and shorts, so there had been no need to bring anything for him to change into.

Waiting on the sidelines, subjected to what should have been the humiliating task of building a sandcastle with Chii, something that looses it's childish edge however when the girl in question has brought blueprints and sand orientated construction equipment with her, Ryu was in for an interest surprise when he first caught sight of Kanna.

The bikini was a startling scarlet in hue, and cut in a fashion, not quite, but almost as severe as Yui and Mizuki's mid-rift baring wrap around one pieces.

A little dazed when she had walked right up to him, pivoted on one foot and asked him what he thought, he had put a hand through one of the walls of the lower floor of Chii's sandcastle.

Chii hadn't seem too put out, merely glancing between Kanna's barely concealed assets and her own washboard smooth chest quizzically before shrugging and setting to work on repairing the damage Ryu had unintentionally caused.

Kanna was still teasing him about his response and trying to get him to admit he had thought something perverted when he'd seen her, and utterly confusing him as to why she wasn't mad about that possibility, when Ayu chose to step in, worried about the performance the other girl was putting on.

"Ano…s-sempai", she interjected, resisting the urge to tug at her strapless blue one piece or to hide behind Chii's ever increasing sandcastle.

Cheeks lightly flushed, hands clasped demurely in front of her in a way that seemed to accent her slender physic rather than hide it, Ryu put a _foot_ through one of the walls this time.

Chii looked mildly put out for a second before commencing a second set of repairs after Ryu gave her an apologetic look.

"So?", Kanna asked, frowning as she noticed his reaction to Ayu, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling.

"So what?", he asked, confident he had regained control of is extremities and feeling his pulse settle down again.

Kanna pouted and pushed him, "Don't try and play it cool after that display".

"…I have no idea what you're talking about", he looked away with a small cough, annoyed that this seemed to only widen her smile rather than make her drop the subject.

"Reeeaaaalllly?", she sung, ducking down into his view, more than happy that she was having such an affect on him. There were few people who had ever seen Ryuuya Kisame shuffle his feet and sweat quite as he was doing now.

"Is this a private game or can anyone play?", Yui asked, having held back as long as she could and thoroughly enjoyed watching Ayu and Kanna's tag team.

"As cute as he is when he sweats", Yui said with a wink, "How about we all actually have a little fun today…unless you three had something private in mind?"

"Yui!", both Kanna and Ayu blushed from head to toe while Ryu wondered if it would be possible to spend the rest of the day inside Chii's sandcastle.

"How about a little volley ball?", Natsuki chimed in, saving them all from whatever Yui was planning to say next, "And then we can all have a little watermelon"

Ryu had the sneaking suspicion some god was toying with him, what else could have inspired her to hold the volleyball and the watermelon side by side like that.

"Sounds good to me", Mizuki voiced her approval, quickly seconded by Yui and more grudgingly by Kanna and Ayu.

"I guess", Ryu added when they all looked at him expectantly, following the girls as they began to lead him away from where Ema, Sara and Chii were gathered.

"Wait", he said a thought occurring to him, "Chii-chan?"

The young girl's head poked out the window of the first floor of her construct.

"You want to play?"

Looking at him for a moment, she vanished again without a word.

She appeared from behind the structure and walked toward him silently, taking a place next to Ryu when the others began picking teams without waiting for a position to be assigned to her.

"Are you sure she's Su's kid?", Sara asked, tilting her sunglasses down to rest low on her nose to watch from where she and Ema sat in the shade of their parasol as the others played.

Chii was barely moving, only reacting when the ball came straight at her and only enough to bounce it back in the direction it had come from.

"She has her moments", Ema said, relating the story of the Mecha-Chiho, Chii had been trying to invent based on her pet, the puppy that was currently sitting watch with them in the cool.

"I suppose it's better than sixteen foot death ray equipped robo-turtles at least, but I do miss Su's energy some times", Sara said, thinking back to her days spent crawling through tunnels in the Hinata Sou, and the brief time she had spent in Molmol before Su had gotten married.

A startled cry drew their attention back to the game. Yui had apparently tried for a spike which Ryu had tried to deflect only for her to land on top of him when she misjudged her jump.

Most of the shouting they heard was muffled, coming as it did from Ryu who was currently being suffocated by Yui's chest.

"Yui knock it off!", Kanna shouted before she could stop herself.

"G-get off s-sempai!", Ayu added, her tiny fists held up in front of her angrily.

Yui smirked to herself and pretended to get up only to 'trip again.

"Any doubts that she's Amala's?", Ema said, wincing at the volume of Kanna's shout even at this distance as Ryu finally got out from under Yui only to end up with Kanna accusing him of doing nothing to stop the tanned beauty.

Sara had met Amala once on her trip to Su's homeland, that had been…interesting. She hadn't known Kitsune had a hyperactive twin.

They continued to watch the group until the day grew long and even their young companions began to tire.

As night slowly encroached upon day, the residents of the Hinata Sou made their exhausted but happy way home.

Ryu glared at the girls as they all poked fun of how adorable he looked with the sleeping Chii on his back, undaunted by his dire threats and spine shuddering promises of the unspeakable horrors he would exact upon each and everyone of them.

Unaware of the bickering going on around her, Chii sighed in her sleep, snuggling closer into Ryu's back, a tiny smile on her tanned faced as Chiho padded happily at Ryu's heels.

* * *

The corridor was dark, and considering her other experiences with dark passages, and the nature of her visit tonight, it was understandable she would be a bundle of nerves.

Clutching a small envelope to her chest, Ayu cast one last anxious look around as she stooped in front of Ryu's door.

Now was her last chance to chicken out, after this there was no going back at all.

With trembling hands she eyed the paper one last time was it vanished under the gap at the bottom of his door.

Standing she retreated down the hall with a small prayer.

After months of trying, she had finally kept her promise to herself. Now all she had to do was wait for a reply.

* * *

Ayu was sitting in the hotel's café poking at her lunch with a certain lack of enthusiasm the following day.

Ryu hadn't responded yet, though when she had seen him earlier that morning he had just looked at her strangely for a moment before walking in the opposite direction.

She hadn't held too much hope that he would say yes, but she had been sure she would at least get answer.

Distracted by her own melancholy, she only stared when a small piece of paper landed in front of her on the table.

Reaching out when she had shaken off her stupor, Ayu unfolded it and read.

It was just the note she had given Ryu the night before and she was about to screw it up as her eyes brimmed with tears when a voice called over her shoulder.

"Turn it around", she yelped and Ryu smirked at her reaction, emerging from the booth behind her fully and folding his arms patiently.

"W-what?", she asked, holding the paper as if she had no clue what it was, or what it was for.

"The other side of the note", he repeated slowly, obviously enjoying her embarrassment.

She did as instructed and scanned the opposite side, her eyes refusing to focus and her mind seemingly having forgotten how to interpret what she could see for a moment before she read the new writing aloud.

"Yes", she said, her voice amazingly even considering the room seemed to have begun to spin a little.

"Sempai?", she asked trying not to sound to hopeful in case this was all some sort of joke.

"I don't really have anything to do that can't wait", he lied, thinking about the homework he still had left, but he had reduced the pile enough for one day. Besides, he'd most likely be dragged out by the rest of the girls at some point anyway, and if allowed to choose between all of them as a group or one, and the least troublesome of the lot to boot, he knew which was the sane option.

_Also…_, he thought, feeling his smile mellow into something else as a lightly flushed Ayu continued to look up at him with the shy smile he had gotten used to seeing from her.

"And I never really thanked you for…before", he admitted gruffly, looking away as her eyes widened in understanding, one of her hands reaching out to him instinctively before she caught herself.

"I'll meet you here in about half an hour, is that ok?", he took it as an agreement when she didn't voice any objections and left her to her own devices.

"I…have a date…with sempai…", Ayu pinched herself, both wincing and smiling when it hurt.

"I have a date…", she whispered to herself, hugging his reply like a small child, her eyes closed with happiness, "Sempai…"

When she left, Kanna relaxed a little, slumping down on the table in the booth she had been sitting in, feeling a little dazed.

Ryu, and Ayu…were going out…together, on a date.

"Why do I care?", she asked herself as the first droplets of moisture fell onto the uncaring wooden surface.

No one answered.

* * *

Ayu was as happy as she could ever recall being. No, scratch that, she hadn't been a miserable child exactly, but she had never experienced anything quite like this.

After she had turned up wearing the best summer dress she could find, a white one piece that looked as if the top half were actually a second garment that was bunched into the dress by a thin ribbon that circled her narrow waist, and a wide brimmed sun hat, Ryu had taken her into town.

She had never been here before, and neither had he, so there was plenty to see and to do.

Being a town that relied heavily on tourism for profit, there were an number of hastily erected shops and stands owned and managed by various pioneering individuals hoping to make a living off those that came to admire and enjoy the beauty of their home.

Each new stall brought something different, and Ayu was content to wonder amongst the vendors, talking shop so to speak with those serving various foods.

The old woman who ran a rather desolate looking but well run soba stand had chuckled at all of Ayu's questions, catching Ryu's eye as he stood patiently behind her, a small smile gracing his thin lips as he watched the animated behaviour of this normally shy and reserved girl as she traded recipes and so on with the old woman.

At one point she had smiled benignly at the younger woman and told Ayu how it was so touching to see her so determined to do her best for her boyfriend, something becoming increasingly rare in young women these days by her reckoning.

That assumption had left Ayu a shuttering wreck for several minutes as she tried to explain that she and Ryu weren't an item while he developed an intense interest in a stall several stands away.

The old woman had shook her head laughing after they had walked away, wondering why young folks were so shy about their feelings.

It always seemed that by the time you got over that awkwardness you were too old to do anything about it, but at least you got to watch the next generation dancing around each other like fools.

She stopped her giggling when she noticed another young woman with dark hair streaked with lighter highlights using the edge of her stall to hide behind.

The old woman was about to shout at her when she noticed the line of her gaze.

It was aimed straight at the backs of the blue haired young girl and her handsome blond friend she had served moments earlier, her face screwing up as it ventured back and forth between angry and worry as the couple ate their meal and talked as they perused the other booths.

The old store owner raised one grey eyebrow as the young woman darted over to another stall a few meters away, her gaze never leaving the young couple.

_A jilted lover, or jealous girlfriend?_, the old woman mused with a shake of her head.

It was so sad, the youth of today were so complicated, and he had seemed like such a nice young man as well.

Her commentary unheeded by Kanna, the dark haired girl continued her silent pursuit, focusing solely on her target so she wouldn't have to think about why she was doing this, what was motivating her to follow them no matter how many times she told herself it was just a failsafe in case Ryu tried anything funny with Ayu.

_If that were true_, her mind reminded her, _then you would have accepted Yui and Mizuki's help when they asked_.

She almost lost sight of them for a moment, panicking but relaxing again when she managed to locate them before they turned down another street, bumping and apologising her way across the growing crowd in an attempt to keep up.

She followed them in secret for the rest of the day, as Ryu and Ayu wandered seemingly at random, stopping only when something caught one or other of their eye, or simply to rest for a moment before moving on.

They watched a small street play together, a performance about two lovers who snuck away from their friends so that they could be alone.

It had Kanna cracking her knuckles as Ryu and Ayu cast sidelong looks at each other during the play, noticing how close they were standing and scooting further apart as a few of the older members of the crowd smiled at them knowingly until Ryu gave them all an icy stare that convinced them to mind their own business.

As she trailed them through a small park, she noticed that Ryu was only listening, rarely interrupting Ayu as she spoke.

The fact that he had managed to relax her enough for her quiet friend to talk for such lengths or so eagerly was troubling for reasons she couldn't pinpoint, but no more so than the way her was giving the impression that he didn't mind what she said. Not in a sort of 'talk all you want I can't hear a thing' way, but as if he was genuinely interested by what she was saying.

He had done the same thing on their date she remembered, not catching that she had failed to correct herself as she began to wonder whether that meant he was just good a faking an interest, and whether that was a good or a bad thing at the moment.

She was glad when they decided to take another break, ducking behind an information kiosk in the park as they took seats on a comfy looking bench.

This far away, she couldn't make out what they were saying, but it didn't seem to be anything amazing or even romantic as far as she could tell, unless Ayu had suddenly become much better at hiding her responses.

She let herself sink to the ground, massaging aching feet when Ryu left for a moment, Ayu staying behind for some reason.

Whatever it was it gave her time to relax her vigil for a moment, and it was a moment her throbbing feet were loudly informing her she needed.

If she was right, they would probably be returning soon anyway, there wasn't much more they could really do in such a small town surely.

Her 'break was over quicker than she would have liked, Ryu returning moments later with two ice-cream cones in hand.

"Here", Ayu jumped when Ryu held the ice-cream out to her. She had been lost in her own little world, replaying this day over and over in her head to be sure she had it all committed to memory, so that even should she wake at this very moment, she would have something to cherish from her dream.

Ryu sat down next to her, instantly feeling better. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but after spending almost all day walking he was close to overheating.

Still, it had certainly been nice. No pressure, no worries, just a leisurely stroll with a cute girl.

_Just like any normal teenager_, he scoffed, fighting the urge to let his darker emotions and memory taint the day thus far. It was bad enough that he found himself wanting to look over his shoulder every five minutes to see if they were being followed, but paranoia is a hard habit to kick, especially when it has been so useful in the past.

He stretch a little, regarding his cone for a moment before taking an experimental lick.

The cool flavour was refreshingly welcome, and the irony of how those that truly knew him would react if they could see him now was not lost on him.

The cold indifferent bastard that was Ryuuya Kisame…eating ice-cream in the park with his date. It was so absurd it should have been novelised; they always say a little humour makes tragedy more poignant.

No, now was not the time to allow such thoughts in. There was nothing he could do about that right now, so far away from his only lead, and he had to face the fact that after all this time with failure after failure, he might never succeed at the task he had set himself.

Ryu frowned darkly.

In which case he would be forced to leave the Hinata Sou to continue the search elsewhere, and yet he found himself confronted with a question he could neither explain nor answer.

Was that really what he still wanted?

Power, the Sword…they had been his goals for so long, and yet they were still as far away as when he had first made his choice, while…other, things, new and uncertain possibilities, were so very close.

"Sempai?", his eyes drifted over to Ayu unconsciously, the smaller girl looking up at his vacant expression with concern, and something he couldn't identify.

He wasn't aware that he smiled as he registered the small blob of ice-cream that clung tenaciously to the tip of her nose, or that he was doing anything until his hand drifted into his vision as it reached up to wipe away the offending matter, lingering on her face for a moment, and then another even after its job was done.

"Sempai?", her voice was quieter now, her body trembling lightly under his hand, but something told him it was not fear.

_What would it be like_, he found himself thinking as seemingly random flashes of his life over the past few months ran their course through his mind.

Scenes that had had a surprising impact on him and how he thought about his own goals and those of others, things like the mishap in the basement with Chii's failed experiment and his words and actions following that.

Mostly though, he thought of two girls, one of which was sitting before him, a hand over her heart as her eyes drifted closed, her pursed lips crowing closer by the second.

_What would it be like…to just be a normal teenager, just once…to let myself be…human…_

Ayu's lips were warm and soft, softer than he could have expected.

It was inexplicably intoxicating, he felt like a man dying of thirst who had just stumbled upon an oasis, and for this reason he pulled back, taking care not to be too sudden, but needing to escape the confusion for a moment.

Ayu's eyes fluttered open, her cheeks coloured and her breathing coming in short, ragged gasps.

If she hadn't already made sure she wasn't dreaming, she would have had to check right now. Her date with Ryu, and it had ended with her first kiss.

She wondered what he was thinking about at this moment as he pulled away, looking like he was trying to compose himself.

What could be going through his mind?

"Kanna…", Ayu blinked, of all the things she might have expected him to say, why would he mention Kanna at a time like this.

She turned to follow his eyes as he looked at something over her shoulder.

_Kanna-chan!_, she cringed inside at the stricken look her friend gave her, unable to even think about why Kanna was there in the first place, too lost in the guilt of what Kanna had just seen.

Kanna didn't say a word to either of them, just turned and fled in the opposite direction, her feel beating a hollow retreat, but not before Ryu could see the tears streaming unchecked down her face.

"Kanna…", Ayu whispered.

Ryu was on his feet before she noticed he'd moved, running in the direction Kanna had taken off in without even a quick word in her direction.

Soon he too had faded from sight.

"Sempai…", Ayu felt numb, all the joy she had felt the moment he kissed her gone in an instant.

As Ayu made her way back to the hotel, anyone looking closely enough within the shadows of her hat, might have noticed a broke hearted girl's solitary tear…

* * *

Kanna wasn't the star runner on her track team for no reason, and Ryu was finding that out the hard way.

He wasn't in bad shape by anyone's definition, and he was amongst the top players when it came to athletics, but he was till having a hard time keeping up with her.

Now that most of the tourists would be back in their hotels or indoors at bars or restaurants, the stalls were closed, and the previously pleasantly busy streets now seemed bare in the growing twilight.

"Damn it Kanna, would you stop already!", he found himself shouting at her back as she ploughed on.

"Get lost Jerk!", she shouted back without stopping, "Go bother someone else, just leave me alone!"

Her legs burned, she hadn't been running properly so she was more tired than she should have been, otherwise Ryu would have never kept up for this long.

She couldn't stop though. It was bad enough that she had been unable to stop the waterworks when she had seen him kiss Ayu, but if he actually saw her crying because of him…

She stumbled but managed to keep going, however her mistake allowed Ryu to gain ground on her.

"Leave me alone Ryu!"

"Since when have I taken orders from you!", he fired back, noticing how hard breathing was becoming.

Kanna cursed when she felt a twinge of a smile cross her face, ducking her head and willing herself to run faster.

She cried out as she connected with something sturdy, the rebound setting her back solidly on her backside.

"Owwwww!", she moaned, rubbing her head, "Hey! Watch where you're going you…".

She trailed off as she caught sight of just _who_ she had run into.

The boy sitting across from her wasn't anything impressive. Small and greasy, with slicked black hair and tiny wire rim glasses, he would never reach the title noteworthy even if he tried.

However, that didn't stop Kanna feeling the stirrings of fear.

The boy she had just run into was one of those types who surrounds himself with lackeys, thugs with little brains but a great deal of strength and a complete lack of morals, easily taken in by the smooth talk of men such as this.

Toshima Takahashi came from an old family from the Chiba prefecture and had been sent her highschool in hopes that living and interacting in a calmer environment would temper his ambitions, but all it had done was expose a number of unexpecting individuals to his manipulative nature.

The fact of the matter was that Toshima was the head of the largest gang in the Hinata area, a dangerous man to draw the attention of, and she had just run him down and shouted at him.

Perhaps she could have gotten away with it, seen as this was not his 'territory', and he would be unlikely to be looking for familiar faces, however, there were three rather large, and angry looking witnesses.

"You ok boss?", one of them asked, Toshima adjusting his glasses and making an irritated noise as they helped him up and made a show of brushing the dirt off his trousers and plain white shirt.

"Of course I'm not", he snapped at them, shrugging off their attentions and checking himself over before levelling a cold look at Kanna as she attempted to back away unnoticed.

"Going somewhere?", he asked in a chilling tone, freezing her on the spot and forcing her to look at him.

"Found you, I…", Ryu let his gaze travel slowly over Kanna's new friends as he finally caught up, stepping over to her side and glancing at her questioningly before looking back at the others.

As mad and confused as she felt around Ryu at the moment, she was relieved.

"This young woman was just about to apologise to me for so rudely knocking me down", Toshima drawled, giving Ryu a once over with his eyes, glancing away when he met Ryu's icy gaze but forcing himself to meet it again.

"Kanna?", he yelped when she stamped on his foot, glaring at her but she ignored him and plastered on a smile.

She had done that for two reasons; firstly because she was insulted that he had sounded so disbelieving when it was suggested she was going to apologise to someone, and secondly because Toshima Takahashi was not someone she wanted to remember anything about her when they parted company, and giving him her name wasn't conductive to that.

Toshima frowned as if trying to place something for a moment before dismissing it as irrelevant.

"Yes, well, I'm really, really sorry", Kanna said, her face aching from holding her unnatural smile, "So we'll just get out of your way now…"

"One moment more if you'll indulge me", Toshima answered as she turned to go, tugging at Ryu's arm to indicate he needed to follow her.

"Perhaps there is something else…", he smiled in a way that made her want to vomit, it was a look all women instinctively fear on some level, "A small kiss, as a token of your sincerity".

_Oh, why me? Ok, I need to find a tactful way out of this…_, she wracked her brains for a plan trying to ignore the looks passing between Toshima's 'associates'.

"I think not", Ryu's voice held the same warm as the artic winds as he took a halfstep toward Kanna, taking her arm and pulling her back a little, "She's already apologised, so we're leaving".

Toshima shook his head as he watched them begin to walk away, Kanna's back glances showing that she at least understood.

Something about her had caught his eye, and not just her looks, though those certainly were a bonus, and her name tickled his memory.

Besides, surely this blond haired punk didn't think he would just be allowed to disrespect him and walk away.

"Hiro, Takashi, Aiji", he spoke his three enforcers names and they moved without further prompting, the centre one moving to place a restraining hand on Ryu's shoulder as he adjusted his slipping sunglasses.

He never made contact.

Even as Kanna spotted the movement and made to call out, Ryu halted, lurching back into the personal space of his opponent, his elbow lancing out and striking his solar plexus with inhuman precision.

His companions could only watch as their friend coughed out the contents of his lungs and crumpled without another word.

Ryu looked back over his shoulder slowly as the first thug hit the dirty, the little warm that shone through in his eyes completely absent.

"I said we're leaving", his voice made even Toshima pause, and his goons stopped, looking back at their boss uncertainly.

Toshima fired back a cocky smirk when he recovered. His interest was truly piqued now. The beauty had an impressive guardian, which would make taking her all the more satisfying. This had just gone beyond a simple apology.

Kanna was similarly shocked, but not for the reasons you might have thought. Hers was not a paralysis born of fear, though she was scared, but rather, one of impossible recognition.

The way Ryu had moved, she had seen that done before, but only by her aunt.

_Where did he learn to do that?_, she wondered as the other two began to move again, sticking with the simple tactics and placing themselves to either side of him as Ryu continued to eye them back, his face unreadable.

Ryu was worried. He had been advised by his instructors time and again to avoid combat, especially in any circumstances he had an emotional tie or vulnerability to.

He thought of Kanna and swallowed a reflexive burst of concern.

He couldn't afford to get worked up, that would be disastrous for everyone involved, Kanna included.

He saw an image of a little boy, his small robes covered in blood, a pair of glowing red eyes watching him from the darkness as he wept.

_Not the time_, he told himself sternly, _focus on your goal, everything else comes last_.

"You're quite impressive", Toshima commented as Ryu blocked a series of very poor but powerful blows from both opponents, keeping his movements short and precise, forcing them into each others path as often as possible and not wasting energy striking back before he could end this with a single blow.

Toshima spared another look for Kanna. Even more intriguing than her appearance was her reaction to this little scuffle. She didn't seem to be playing the part of the quaking girlfriend,. It was more like she too was evaluating Ryu's skills, but there was more than observation, she seemed to be doing an active analysis.

_How utterly sublime_, he thought, snapping his fingers when he finally placed where he knew her from and smiling at the irony.

To think there had been someone like this right under his nose the whole time. True he rarely involved himself with the school itself as anything more than a recruiting ground, but still.

"He fights well", he spoke as if they were making light conversation over tea rather than observing a street brawl he had started, "I have to wonder where you found him Urashima-san".

Kanna's attention was drawn back to the fight before it had even left as one of the grunts managed to clip Ryu's jaw in a moment of inattention, the distraction proving enough for the second to land a heavy blow to his gut, forcing him off his feet and crashing into the floor after a moment of flight.

"Ryu!", Kanna looked down as something small struck her face struck her face, catching it before it struck the ground.

"What in the world?", she asked, unable to understand what it was she was seeing, or rather, she knew what it was, but she couldn't understand where it could have come from.

The two thugs, apparently convinced Ryu was sufficiently humbled to allow some gloating time as he regained his knees.

They frowned when he ignored them, his eyes seeking Kanna out instead.

Kanna felt her breath freeze in her throat. The look in Ryu's eyes was something she had never seen before, it bordered on malicious with a touch of dark humour, but that wasn't any stranger than the fact that one of his eyes was no longer blue…

Clearly angered by his actions, Takashi and Aiji looked to their boss, their desire to correct his 'mistake' clear in their eyes and posture.

Toshima looked at Kanna, frowning when she didn't return his gaze.

He smiled minutely and nodded, "Finish it".

Chuckling at each other, Takashi and Aiji advanced, cracking their knuckles in anticipation as Ryu and Kanna slowly turned toward the sound of approaching footsteps.

The residents waited for the two men to attack.

Without a word, Takashi, Aiji and Toshima toppled like puppets with their strings cut, leaving Ryu and Kanna to hold their breath as all three men hit the ground and went still.

Still hardly daring to believe what had happened Kanna walked past where Ryu was crouched, kicking Toshima with the tip of one foot, and turning her perplexed frown on Ryu when the small man didn't show any signs of waking.

Ryu didn't return her look; he seemed to be scanning the rooftops as if he expected the answer to fall from the sky at his feet.

"Hey, earth to moron", she said, hoping whatever had come over him a few moments ago was gone, and hoping it wasn't linked to whatever had made three grown men pass out cold at a glance, "Are you ok?"

He didn't answer, keeping his back turned to her as the silence stretched between them, "…Yeah, I'm fine…same as always".

Walking over to where the first thug lay, he plucked his sunglasses up from where they had fallen, donning them before looking back over his shoulder to face.

"The others are probably worried, lets go", he began walking, pausing for her to catch up.

Kanna walked alongside him, casting the occasional glance back at the fallen forms of the group that had attacked them.

"They'll be fine", Ryu said, seeming to guess what she was going to ask without her actually doing so.

The dark haired girl nodded slowly.

_What did I just see_, she thought as she tried to watch both Ryu and her path at the same time.

They reached the hotel without another word, Ryu parting from her without even a word of farewell.

"Ryu", she hesitate, unsure what to say, finally settling on the only thing that came to mind, "Thank you… for coming after me…I…I think you'll need to talk to Ayu though…"

"…I'll see to it…is there anything else?"

Kanna felt her eyes watering for the second time that day. He had just saved her from an attack, leaving his…girlfriend, behind to do so. Why was he being so cold all of a sudden?

"Goodnight Ryu", she whispered, waiting for a reply and receiving none before leaving him alone in the lobby.

"Goodnight", he echoed to the empty entrance hall, checking the sunglasses as he made his way toward his room, "Urashima…".

* * *

---Author Notes---

Yeah, one secret revealed, others hinted at/developed, everyone confused as to who is whose parents yet? Super.

Poor little Ayu-chan though, will things ever go right for our little blue haired girl? Find out in Chapter Ten: River Below: Ryu confronts Kanna as Ayu tries to come to terms with what happened, and Ryu calls out his 'Guardian Angel' for a chat. Nothing will ever be the same again, this is the beginning of the end in Love Hina: Children of Ice and Fire…

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	12. Chapter 10: River Below

**A/N:** This will be my last update for a while… enjoy

* * *

Chapter 10: River Below

Ryu lay on the roof of the Hinata Sou, uncaring of the unusually cold night air as it clawed at and puckered his skin, tussling his spiky blond hair.

In turn the wind was nonplussed by the icy, vacant, almost inhuman look in his cold blue eyes as he gazed up at the night sky.

There was a palpable tang in the air tonight. A sense of expectation, like there was something waiting just around the corner to reveal itself.

However, Ryu was dead to these atmospheric changes.

He was thinking on what he had learned about Kanna during the residents' recent 'vacation'.

_Urashima…_, yes, she was a member of the Urashima family, the ones who had been guarding the cursed blade known as the _Hina_, until it had been given to the_ Gods Cry_ school's heir a little over twenty years ago.

His research into ancient or legendary weapons amongst the Clans during his search had yielded a fair amount of data on that event.

After that had off the Urashima's had all but vanished from the notes of the Clans, considered once more too insignificant to dwell on, despite the proven effectiveness of their unarmed combat style, itself dying out within the family.

However, what if that wasn't the reason?

What if all trace of them had been banned from being recorded for some reason or other.

They had already watched over one legendary blade for a number of centuries before turning it over to the Clans…what if they had been given charge of another.

Ryu sat up, folding his arms around his knees.

It wasn't a great leap to make.

One family member properly trained in the family style, sequestered in an unlikely location could conceivably protect the blade from anyone who chanced upon it.

It had taken him a long time to find this place as a likely location, and even when he had the most recent data on the building was almost as old as he was. He hadn't even known who if anyone was living there until he had phoned seeking accommodation, and even then, the actual guests had come as a shock.

Ryu smirked at the irony of his situation.

He had been living under the same roof as a Urashima, a member of one of the families with a link to the Sagura Clan, creators of the _Sword of Two Souls_, for several months without ever even knowing that the potential answer to his problem was in the room just down the hall.

If only he'd found out earlier, before…

He smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand to clear his mind of the image of Kanna after she had seen him kissing Ayu.

Why was he still thinking about that? Kanna was a potential obstacle now, an enemy in the shadows so to speak.

Besides, hadn't already made a choice on that front.

Hadn't he chosen Ayu the moment he…

_Ayu…_

Another problem. After coming back he had been overload with too much to try and process and understand, replaying his memories of his time with Kanna to try and figure out if she had ever done or said anything to indicate she was hiding anything, to notice that Ayu hadn't said a word to him or anyone else for that matter, since that night.

He'd avoided Kanna, Ayu and all the girls yesterday after getting back, while his brain had a minor meltdown.

"This is ridiculous", he told the night air sternly, "Why am I still worrying about which of them I like when there are more important things at hand?".

That was true he told himself. Now was not the time to indulge in the moping bumbling behaviour of his peers.

He had finally found a link to his goal; he should pursue it now and forget everything else…so why couldn't he get either the image of the crying Kanna or Ayu's face as he had lent in to kiss her out of his head?

Nothing would dislodge them, over and over he saw Ayu's delicately pink dusted face as her large eyes drifted closed, only to have the moment shattered as the image was replaced by Kanna, teardrops leaving a sparkling trail as she tried to turn swiftly enough to hide her distress.

His head was beginning to ache, a dull pounding behind his eyes that echoed through his skull.

"Things weren't supposed to be this complicated", he ground out, his voice tight, his fist trembling at his side.

Sighing he ran a hand through his hair trying to calm himself. It had seemed to work when Ayu had helped him in the cave, but it offered no solace here.

_It wasn't the action…it was the person_, he grudgingly admitted to himself.

None of his thoughts seemed to have been his own since coming back to this place, they were either the puppets of the two girls who had come into his life, or perhaps he theirs, or the playthings of his inner demons.

_Demon…_, he could still see what he had thought of while trying to protect Kanna. A pair of burning crimson irises, mocking him from the shadows, taunting him with the potential price of his actions…something he had come closer to paying than he wanted to admit.

That had been part of the reason he had been so cold to Kanna after that was over…and worse, it was something he would likely never be able to explain to her, or Ayu for that matter if he could ever get the blue haired girl to talk to anyone ever again.

_Why_, he asked himself the deceptively simple question.

Why had he kissed Ayu only to run after Kanna, leaving the blue haired girl alone only seconds after implying what he might feel for her? Or was it that he didn't, that such things were stirred by Kanna of all people, and Ayu had just been a handy substitute?

What did that make him, or mean to him, for him?

It had turned out to be a good thing he had gone after Kanna, he had been there to save her and learned something potentially important, but he didn't know what to do with what he had learned anymore.

His mother had once told him that life had no clear path for humans, and that at least provided some comfort in wake of what had nearly happened…

Pushing all these thoughts aside as best he could, he recalled his true purpose for being up here tonight, a reason that would hopefully help him make his decision.

When he had been down and out during the fight against the thugs that had been after Kanna and him, just when he had begun to feel his control over himself slipping, something had happened to their attackers…and he had nothing to do with it, but if he was right, he knew who was responsible, and they would most likely be watching over him right now…

"You might as well come out Kyosuke, I know you're there…", he waited…only the wind answered.

"Do you really want to get _me_ angry enough to bring you out of hiding myself. I think that would invalidate your mission somewhat, don't you?", Ryu let the hint of an edge creep into his voice.

There was a whisper of displaced air and suddenly there was a boy standing at the peek of the Hinata Sou's rooftop, his thin arms folded over his sleeveless red shirt as the wind played with his baggy black trousers at natural shocks of purple hair, drooping forelocks held back by a white cloth.

The shadows hid his eyes but Ryu knew all too well their colour, feeling an itching sensation in one eye, and knowing that the younger boy's eyes were focused on him with a look that could have killed.

The anger practically vibrated the air around them as Ryu made his way up to join the newcomer, stopping when he was level rather than closing anymore of the distance between them.

Part of him was…intrigued, by the hatred he could feel, but he had a lot of practise ignoring that part of himself.

Resting his hands casually in his pockets he smirked at the sword he could now see strapped to the younger boy's back. It was comically large on him, not because of it's actual size, but because of the stature of his 'Guardian Angel'.

A Katana would look out of place on the back of any fourteen year old after all, but anyone that took this boy lightly because of his age and height would have been a fool.

"You're looking well Kyosuke-kun", Ryu smirked again when the boy trembled with barely suppressed rage, before calming himself enough to give Ryu the finger in response, "And as charming as ever I see".

"What do you want?", the purple haired boy spat as if he would need to brush afterward just for talking to Ryu.

Again, the blond boy was more than used to this attitude, he had experienced it in one form or another from everyone but his parents back home.

The blurred memory of a dream, two girls in the woods, crossed his mind but he ignored it.

"You really do need to learn to be more civil cousin", Ryu chided, his grin fading into an icy stare, "Who knows what trouble that tongue of yours might get you into".

Kyosuke took a step back; the anger in the air now tinged by fear…and a part of Ryu sickeningly loved every second of it.

Retaining his look while attempting to hold onto his lunch was difficult but manageable. He knew that Kyosuke was afraid of him just like the others on some level, and he needed to bring that to the surface if he had any hope of extracting the information he needed from the younger boy.

Still he was weary of how recent events had…stimulated a part of him that had been slumbering lately.

He just needed the information; he didn't need to give Kyosuke the excuse the other boy most likely craved to complete his mission, if it was what he thought it was, the hard way.

"I'm not scared of you", Kyosuke said, his voice only slightly wavering as the hatred surged back to the forefront of his conscious.

"There's a first time for everything I suppose", Ryu said somewhat wistfully, smirking in spite of himself as his companion took that for an insult directed at him.

"I have always despised you", the purple haired boy growled, tensing as if he wanted to attack.

"I don't care Kyosuke, all I want to know is what you are doing here…I doubt you came all this way just for me…or did you?", Ryu turned to regard the stars, giving the impression he wasn't actually interested in the answer.

"I'm not as dumb as you seem to think you know", Kyosuke relaxed a little, "But it's not exactly a secret. I was sent to bring you back after you vanished from the temple".

Ryu chuckled under his breath, "So you volunteered to track down the wayward son, how touching. Did you miss me that much Kyosuke?"

"Shut up!", the younger boy snapped, "It was Auntie who wanted you back, not me!".

He clasped his hands over his mouth, fearing he might have said to much.

"So this was Mother's request, which means the council doesn't know anything. Which I assume is why you are here and not her… Thank you for that Kyosuke-kun, that's most enlightening", he said looking at his trembling cousin out of the corner of one eye.

It also meant that Kyosuke was supposed to be an observer, or ranger. He should have been long gone after that fight he should have never intervened in, on his way to report Ryu's location.

"You're coming back with me even if I have to drag you back", Kyosuke said, one hand going to the hilt of his weapon, his tongue playing briefly across his lips, betraying his eagerness for a confrontation.

He was clearly hoping for the worst case scenario, as even at three years his junior, there was only one way Ryu could beat this boy, with or without a weapon.

"I doubt those were your orders Kyosuke-kun, and besides, we both know that no one would reward you for the damage incurred to the innocent even if you somehow won the encounter you desire", Ryu had to be careful with his words, pushed to far Kyosuke might react like the hot blooded young boy he was, but with enough subtle emphasis on certain points he should back down.

"Don't over estimate yourself. There's more than me would be all to happy to see you gone Ryuuya", the boy smiled darkly as he saw a flash of pain skirt Ryu's features, watching his eyes eagerly, hoping to see the ice melt…

"Do you think Mother would be amongst them?", he asked quietly, knowing he was skirting dangerous territory as he watched a war of emotions play across the younger boy's face, and not even entirely sure who he had been directing that question at.

Kyosuke or himself?

Reluctantly, by stages, the purple haired boy relented, releasing his grasp and relaxing his stance a little.

"Bastard", he hissed through clenched teeth.

Ryu offered a weak smile in return, resuming his star gazing, not speaking for a moment, "…So, what will you do cousin?"

Kyosuke spat, stuffing his hands in his pocket but never taking his hard gaze away from Ryu.

"I'm not going to tell anyone where you are if that's all you're worried about. This is the best chance I've ever had to be rid of you for good, so I'm not going to rat you out", Kyosuke grinned without humour in the darkness, showing his teeth, "Besides, it's fun to see you taken down a peg or two by these girls, and I can't wait to see what happens when you go up against the Urashima girl for real".

"Why would I make any move against Kanna?", he asked, forcing himself not to look at his cousin as he said that, keeping his voice smooth.

"_Phftt!_ You happen to find a member of a family famous for guarding 'special' weapons, residing in the same building you must have come to in search of one in particular…", he let that hang in the air between them, frowning when Ryu didn't speak, "…and you're telling me you're not going to check if she knows anything? That doesn't seem like a very sound search procedure".

"Who says I'm looking for anything, perhaps I just needed a little time to clear my head", Ryu folded his arms and yawned as if the conversation were boring him.

"Your conscience you mean?", Kyosuke smirked when Ryu's eyes hardened a little before his usual impassive mask came back into place, "You're here because the Sword is supposed to be here, otherwise you wouldn't have come in disguise".

Ryu offered a sardonic bow, "Your powers of deduction are truly humbling cousin".

Kyosuke barked a short laugh, not rising to the bait this time, "I have no idea why you're after it, but I won't stop you".

Ryu quirked an eyebrow at this, "And why would that be?"

"Because", Kyosuke's face darkened, "When you do find it and I defeat you, I plan to take it before I drag you back. It will make my revenge all the sweeter".

"If you wait that long, you may no longer be able to defeat me", Ryu replied.

"Why? That Sword is dead, we've both heard about it since we were children, there's nothing to it but a legend now", Kyosuke spat, wondering if perhaps his cousin had finally gone mad. Why else would he chase after something that held no value beyond sentiment anymore? It certainly didn't hold the power to make things right again…

"I refuse to believe that", Ryu said in a voice his cousin had to strain to hear.

When his head came back up his eyes wide, almost manic, staring Kyosuke down with a fearsome intensity.

"If I let myself believe that then this has all been for nothing!", his shout took the purple haired boy by surprise, he had never heard Ryuuya shout before, about anything.

Kyosuke looked down, unable to bare the older boy's gaze any longer.

"You can't bring him back…", Kyosuke clenched his fist, forcing himself to look up again, "It won't help".

"I never planned to try", the purpled hair boy was confused. He had thought perhaps it was the spiritual powers of the blade Ryu was after, having concocted some mad plan to use them in some unholy fashion.

"Then…why?"

"I have to become stronger than this, if I hope to set right what I can…and I need that sword to do it", Ryu spot softly now, as if repeating a personal mantra.

Kyosuke was dumbstruck, even though he still couldn't understand what it was Ryuuya thought he could do with a dead spiritual weapon.

"Fine", he snorted, "Do what you want, I won't interfere".

Ryu looked at him, surprise and suspicion warring for dominance on his face.

"Don't get all mushy on me, I still hate you, but the stronger you are when I destroy you, the more fun it will be".

Ryu snorted a laugh, returning his attention once more to the stars, "Whatever".

"Ryu-ni-chan!", the silence was broken by a loud cry as something small fastened itself to his waste, almost barrelling him down the roof and onto the courtyard three floors below.

"Damn it Satomi! I told you to stay in the trees!", Kyosuke fumed as the small flame red haired girl clinging to Ryu's waist stuck her tongue out at him and pouted, hugging Ryu tighter, "Now get away from him!".

"Nu-uh!", she buried her face into his back, shaking her head so that her single waist knee length ponytail swung back and forth like the tail of an angry cat, "Ryu-ni-chan doesn't want me to, do you?"

"Do as your brother says before he looses another year's worth of growth, let go Satomi-chan", Satomi giggled at his quip and reluctantly let go, smiling as he patted her head to annoy Kyosuke.

While his male cousin might be a ball of resentment, Satomi didn't seem to have it in her to dislike anyone, him included, something he had always been thankful for, just as her amazing supply of energy made him glad his Aunt and Uncle didn't visit very often all the same.

"I thought I told you not to come up here, it could be…dangerous, "Kyosuke made sure Satomi noticed him looking at Ryu as he said that.

"Why? All I heard was shouting, and I'm used to seeing you argue with Ryu-ni-chan all the time from when we were all back home…ne, ne, ni-chan! Are you coming home now?", she asked excitedly, tugging on Ryu's arm in time with each syllable while Kyosuke dragged his hand roughly across his face.

"Not yet Satomi-chan", he told her, carefully removing his arm from her grasp and checking the range of motion on his shoulder while she grinned sheepishly for a moment before her almost pixy like energy returned, "I still have something to do".

"Does it have anything to do with those two pretty girls?", she asked, her innocent tone meaning he had to take a moment or two to catch onto what the eleven year old was talking about, "Me and Oni-chan saw you kissing one of them… does that mean she's your girlfriend?".

Kyosuke smirked at his sister's question, expecting it to fluster his cousin, until he saw Ryu's sad look.

"No Satomi-chan, I…it's complicated, lets leave it at that", he said, visibly closing down his face as he killed the emotion causing it.

Kyosuke felt uncomfortable, just as he did every time he saw Ryu do that. He might know the reasons behind it, but it still creped him out, and he still didn't believe it was a good idea to start with.

"Is that why you went after the other girl when she started crying?", Satomi asked, seemingly oblivious to the effects of her questions, "But that blue haired girl, she was crying as well…".

"Oi, come on shrimp, we're leaving", Kyosuke called gruffly, ignoring Ryu's appreciative nod as Satomi pouted before running back to his side.

"Bye, bye Ryu-ni-chan!", she called, waving enthusiastically as Ryu turned to leave, waving over his shoulder briefly.

"Ryu…", Kyosuke's voice was pitched low, as for only Ryu to hear, "Remember this doesn't change anything…… Uncle should have killed you when he had the chance".

Ryu had a flash; a young boy weeping into his blood covered robes while a pair of glowing reds eyes laughed in the darkness around him.

"…", he glanced back at the now empty spot where Kyosuke and Satomi had been standing, "…Yeah…I know…".

* * *

Ayu turned this way and that in an attempt to get to sleep, but conscious dogged her every effort with memories.

Memories of her first kiss…followed by that person leaving her without a second thought to chase after another girl, more worried about how she might feel than what it would do to Ayu.

The tears she had hoped had finally stopped started up again, still in perfect silence.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to speak to anyone yet. She feared that if she tried to, she would think about Ryu, or catch sight of Kanna and breakdown unable to stop the flow.

Ayu curled up tighter under the covers of her futon.

Ryu had kissed her. Not Kanna, not Yui, or Mizuki or any of the other girls, but her.

That was supposed to mean something wasn't it?

She understood that she would probably have reacted just like Kanna if she had seen them kissing, so Ryu had only done what she might have hoped he would do if her and her friend's roles had been reversed.

If that was so, why did it hurt so much?

_No…I can't just stay like this_, she told herself, thinking back on all her mother had told her growing up, _If there is something I love, I can't just give up before I've even started_.

Drying her tears, Ayu made a promise to herself.

In the morning, she would find Ryu, and she would talk to him about this, and she would accept the answer no matter what rather than letting herself hide.

Feeling a little better, Ayu drifted into a light slumber as the first drops of rain hit her window.

She couldn't have known it, but a cleansing was coming, now all she and Ryu had to do was try not to be swept away in the tide.

* * *

Shivering in the sudden cold, Ryu made his way back down onto the laundry annex as the first drops, struck his head, tracing down the contours of his skull and along his jaw.

He glanced skyward at the gathering clouds, dark and heavy with rain.

He shivered for a moment, unsure of what had caused him to do so as he ducked into shelter, glaring back out defiantly at the mounting rain.

It wasn't really that late, midnight hadn't even passed and yet for the clouds all he could see was darkness.

_Everything has become clouded. Meanings hidden were all was clear…so what now?_, he toyed absently with the radio in his pocket, deciding against turning it on as he made his way to the stairs.

_The halfway point_.

He realised as he reached the landing between the second and first floors. He was exactly halfway between Ayu and Kanna's rooms, and only now had he realised it, while he was still dwelling on how to resolve all of these new issues as well as the old…

So here was the big question: which girl did he go to first?

He could think of a dozen arguments for each case but none of them were objective or logical.

From a detached viewpoint, the choice was obvious, as much as part of him, a surprisingly vocal part, didn't like it.

Turning on his heel he headed straight for Kanna's room.

_I'm sorry Ayu-chan…_

* * *

Kanna was still awake when she heard the knock at her door.

She had been sitting awake ever since she had heard Ryu walk past her door on the way to wherever he had been going at this time of night.

Ever since coming back, things had been different.

Ayu wasn't talking to anyone; Ryu had become so distant he might as well have not been living there anymore…

Even Yui and Mizuki seemed subdued and this of course affected Chii, who attempted to cheer up her cousin by having Chiho play with her.

That certainly got Yui moving again, but not in the right way.

Ema and Natsuki were concerned of course, but they knew they could best help by staying out of the younger residents' way for the time being.

Things were spiralling out of control and she had no idea why.

When there was a tapping at her door, she called for whomever it was to come in purely on automatic, giving thought neither to the time, nor the identity of the visitor.

The door slide aside and closed gain without her looking up from where she had her head rested on the room's desk, and her visitor set themselves down opposite her without being acknowledged.

"Kanna", the voice startled her out of her depression, snapping her head up to where Ryu's form was outlined in the darkness.

Old instincts told her she should be scared that a boy had come into her room in the middle of the night, and she couldn't see exactly where he was or what he was doing, but she actually felt a little relieved.

Happy even, that he had purposely sort her out, after…well, everything.

She felt ashamed for wondering if he had come to her before Ayu.

"Ryu", she responded in turn, her tone oddly subdued.

"Kanna, I… I want to know something… this might sound…odd", he shifted in the dark, resting his elbows on her table.

"What?", her breathing had picked up in time with her heartbeat. She suddenly wanted to turn the light on so that she could see his face… his eyes.

The memory of what she had seen that night during the fight surfaced, holding her to the spot.

On second thoughts, perhaps it was for the best that she couldn't see, but the shadows no longer seemed so harmless.

"You…", he paused as if trying to find the right wording.

"Yes", she encouraged, not knowing what he might be thinking but eager for him to voice his thoughts whatever they may be.

"You are…"

"Yes?"

"An Urashima, correct?", Kanna almost face planted onto the table, unaware that she had been leaning on it heavily.

"Of course! What kind of stupid question is that!", she shouted, not caring who she might wake up in the process.

"… Indulge me", he said.

Kanna frowned at the strange, almost pleading tone Ryu had adopted, answering slowly.

"Yeah, my father is Keitaro Urashima and my mother is Naru Urashima, formerly Naru Narusegawa, there, happy now?", she folded her arms. Honestly, of all the conversations he could have started, or the things he could have said, he was quizzing her about her name?

Ryu nodded slowly, "I had hoped so… Tell me, was your family given something to look after recently… an heirloom of sorts".

Kanna frowned, standing and walking over to her closet.

"Kanna? What are you-"

"You mean this old thing?", she asked, taking out a long rectangular box and depositing on the table between them, "My dad mailed this here after I moved, asked me to keep an eye on it well him and mom did the second honeymoon thing".

"…Do you know what's in it?", Ryu's light headed feeling told him all he needed to know about the contents of the box, even before Kanna told him she had never bothered to open it.

"I wonder", he said, straining to keep his voice level as every fibre of him screamed at him to take the box and run.

He had never felt so driven to do something before, his throat was dry, his eyes ached and his hands itched.

He was sweating for some reason too.

_A fever?_, he managed to think around the growing buzz in his mind, _Why now? I didn't… what…what is happening to me?_

"Open the box Kanna", his sounded odd even to him, and stranger still, he couldn't remember if he had been planning to say anything before he had spoken.

_No, something is very, very wrong…I need to get out of here…_

"Why? It's probably just some old artefact of my dad's", she was curious as to the sudden intensity in his voice, and troubled by the way his silhouette swayed and bobbed in the darkness.

Ryu rubbed at his eyes, it felt like they were burning; yet he couldn't take them off the box.

_Leave_, he commanded himself, panicking when his body refused to obey.

_No, the case, I must…_, thinking was becoming harder, like wading through treacle, _I, have to…No! Not now, not when I'm so close_.

His trembling, sweaty hand stretched out, clasping the lid of the box.

"Ryu, I don't think we should be messing with this", Kanna said, shocked to feel how badly he was shaking. Like a drug addict deprived of a fix.

_What the hell is happening to him?_

"I just want to take a look, there's no harm in that", the smooth, almost charming nature of Ryu's voice set off alarm bells ringing in her head. It was completely at odds with how he was acting at the moment.

"Maybe another time", she said trying to pull the container away from him only to find his grip on it too strong.

"I think not", he smiled a flash of lightning illuminating his face and the razor like grin she had never seen him do before. It scared her.

Was this really Ryu?

Inside his own mind, Ryu could do nothing as he watched himself bat away Kanna's hand and flip open the box, gorging his eyes on the sight within.

Scabbard and pommel decorated in an ageless snake skin, a small gold chain gracing the scabbard, there was only one sword this could conceivably be under these circumstances.

Ryu felt his confusion evaporate like dew in the early morning sun as he reached for this weapon, this birth right.

He had succeeded at long last, he had found what he had been seeking in one form or another since he was a boy.

The _Sword of Two Souls_.

Kanna's hand moved quicker, flashing out and taking the blade before he could close his fingers around it.

With a wordless growl forming low in the back of his throat, Ryu glared at her as she back across the room, holding the ancient weapon in front of her chest, eying him wearily.

"Kanna", once more his voice was contrary to his mien, "What are you doing?".

She edged around the table as he tried to move closer, "My father asked me to keep an eye on this, and something tells me letting you have it wouldn't be a good idea…".

Something about the way he was acting was urging every fibre of her being to run, and she usually trusted her feelings on most matters.

"Don't be silly", he said, his voice suave even as she could see the sweat beading on his brow every time a flash of lightning illuminated the room, "…Just let me take a look and we'll pack it away, no harm done".

Ryu swiped at his eyes again. They were itching maddeningly and he still wasn't entirely sure if what he was saying was actually coming from him or somewhere else, but it was starting to feel more and more natural, and that frightened him.

Kanna didn't answer, just stared back, clutching the sword tighter defiantly.

Moving snake like, he found himself lunging over the table separating them. He reached for her but Kanna skirted him, dodging along the edge of the room to keep out of his grasp.

"What the hell is wrong with you!", she shouted.

Ryu didn't respond, he was too busy knuckling his eyes.

Something made a popping sound and Ryu hissed a sigh if relief, turning a cool look upon Kanna that froze her on the spot.

His eyes. They were the same thing she had seen that night when they were attacked.

Sea grey with flecks of burning crimson.

When he spoke again, his voice was strained, more like the voice she was used to hearing, but as if he were fighting for every word.

"Kanna…run…", she watched in horror as the redness seemed to spread, growing and joining as it blotted out all traces of grey, his pose becoming markedly more relaxed as this strange transformation continued.

The door flew open to reveal a very sleepy and blurry-eyed Yui standing in the doorway, a look of irritation plastered over her exotic features.

"Oi! Will you two keep it down with the foreplay! Some of us are trying to sleep!", when nobody in the room answered her she frowned, "Hey, is everything ok in here?".

"Just fine", Ryu answered, his voice seeming to echo about the room oddly, as he turned to face her.

He smiled as Yui took a step back as his newly glowing eyes bored into her previously irate emerald gaze and held it.

"Leave us", he commanded.

Seeing her chance, Kanna moved, heading straight for the hole in her floor that connected to Ema's room.

A spine-chilling laugh followed her as she tossed the board aside and dropped down to the next floor, barely avoiding landing on the slumbering manager.

She flung her the door aside, skidding for a moment on well-waxed floors as she tried to orientate herself toward the stairs, but regaining her feet quickly enough.

She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but it was clear that there was something very wrong with Ryu. It was as if something else was talking through him, and whatever it was, it really wanted this sword for some reason.

Kanna had no intention of letting the thing puppeting Ryu have it however. She had to lead it away from the house, somewhere where she could figure out what to do.

Damn it, why were there never any Special Arts Masters around when they were actually needed?

As she took the stairs down two at a time, vaulting over the lower landing and dashing through the front room without stopping to put on a pair of outdoor shoes, Kanna tried to remember if there was a temple or something of that ilk nearby.

Kanna fumbled with the lock for a moment, casting nervous glances back over her shoulder and almost shouting with joy when a soft click announced her way out was clear.

Hauling the barrier aside, Kanna stepped out into the storm…

"_Ugh_!", her feet found themselves kicking at air as a vice like grip secured itself around her throat, lifting her effortlessly into the air.

She tired to pry it loose with no success, being forced to use her strength to support herself so that she wasn't dangling in Ryu's grasp.

"That _was_ **q**u_ite **ru**_de", he drawled, his voice distorting strangely yet remaining perfectly clear over the sounds of the storm.

With a negligent toss, he hurled Kanna across the courtyard, the rain slicked dirt giving softly under her weight, absorbing some of the shock and allowing her to skid to a halt on her side.

Cracking the knuckles of fingers that seemed somehow longer, he advanced as she struggled to find air for her lungs again, making it to her knees by the time he had covered half the distance.

"Stay back!", she spat, gaining her feet at last, "Whatever you are, leave Ryu alone!".

The thing wearing Ryu like a suit smiled, pulling Ryu's facial muscles in ways they were never indented to be used.

"Ryu? Ah yes, the **name** given to _this_ body **be**_fore_ my _awake**ning**_", it nodded Ryu's head as if remembering something distant.

It looked down at Ryu's body, flexing muscles and stretching languidly, "Yes, this is _much better_, my **impatient was ill advised** last time. **_This form could not support me well_** enough to com**plete** my objective… luckily _the_ _fool has been se_arc**hing for m**e while **_I refined my technique_**".

"Don't talk about Ryu like that!", the thing turned its attention back to Kanna after lazily cracking some of its new body's higher vertebra.

Kanna was trembling lightly as the cold rain lashed at her ineffective clothing, causing her dark hair to cling to her face and head.

She had felt her rage growing as this thing continued to talk about and belittle Ryu as if he were nothing of consequence, merely a temporary custodian to his own body.

Her hand found the pommel of the sword unconsciously as memories of her suddenly all to brief time with Ryu ran through her mind.

Happy times mixed with sad, a maelstrom of confused feelings that had slowly become clearer over time, expanding upon the sensation she had felt when they first met, something she had privately begun to wonder if he had felt as well.

She recalled all the times she had argued with him, as well as all the tender moments they had shared. The castle tower, the Ferris Wheel, private moments in the halls outside of class, or that small rarely shown smiled he had given her after watching her run for the first time.

Him holding her when she thought she had lost Chii, reluctant and unsure, but not disdainfully…

…Him coming after her when she had found him kissing Ayu…

"**_Why do you care?_**", it asked, smirking as if something amusing had just occurred to it, "**_Are you this body's mate little female?_**"

"Shut up!", she bellowed back, flushing even as she glowered at the creatures chuckles, "Ryu is my friend…a stuck up, irritating, stubborn, annoying jerk!…But a friend…So shut up and give him back!".

"**_You are very loud little one…too loud…Do not tempt my ire human, give me what I seek and I may return this body to you as reward…besides, you should know that this boy does not feel for you_**", it flashed its teeth as Kanna jerked involuntarily, "**_His thoughts are all about the tiny blue haired female who knows his secret fear_**".

It could have been the rain, or perhaps a tear that flowed down Kanna's face in wake of this monstrosities pronouncement, but not even she could be sure.

"**_Give me the sword, and I will command this body to obey your wishes…I will even dispose of the other female if you wish…_**", it smiled, sure it had won.

Soon it would have the sword, and it could complete what it had set into motion all those years ago.

"Shut up…"

"**_What?_**", he asked, anger vying with surprise across his features for a moment before he could calm his response.

Kanna's head came up; her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"Just shut up… I will never do anything that would hurt the people I care about, even if it means… even if it means that someone else gets Ryu's Kokoro in the end", she tightened her grip on the pommel. As much as it had hurt to be told point blank that she was not the one Ryu had chosen, she still had to save him… for Ayu.

Besides, there was always the chance that this creature was lying to her, and she would cling to that hope, slim as it was until proven otherwise.

"**_Foolish girl, what do you think you can do to stop me?_**", he began to stalk toward her angrily, the rain seeming to hiss as it struck him, blond hair that had been clinging to his head limply beginning to stir and writhe unnaturally.

Kanna swallowed hard as a sense of wrongness invaded her mind, threatening to paralyse her if she didn't move swiftly.

Making sure her grip was firm once more and securing the scabbard against her side with the other hand, Kanna hauled on the pommel with all her might… and gasped.

The sword remain grounded firmly in it sheath as if she had never tried to disturb it.

_What's going on? Is it rusted so much its been sealed?_, Kanna thought, trying again with the same results.

Why would this thing go to all this trouble to for a rusted old blade?

"**_Sealed…that means the enchantment on the scabbard at least still holds. I'm happy to see the rumours of the weapon being_ dead_ were untrue_**", he resumed a leisurely pace toward his target as she struggled against the ancient seal with brute strength alone without success.

Things would have been most troublesome had he discovered some of the things his host had been told were true.

"**_I tire of this, I'll shall enjoy killing you for your defiance_**".

Kanna looked up at him, wide eyed with terror.

"Eat this! Fire Chii-chan!", came a yell from behind him.

The creature turned with an annoyed sigh that sounded like a mountain crumbling, catching sight of the tanned woman from earlier, and a small girl, close enough in looks to have been mistaken for a younger sister.

The smaller of the pair was holding a large tube like device on one shoulder, a small circular protrusion on the device covering on of her eyes.

"Firing", she said in a monotone voice, pulling the trigger on the handle she held.

Smoke and fire issue forth from the front and rear of the weapon and something rocketed across the distance toward him, a large steel mesh net that sparked dangerously with electricity as it sailed the distance faster than a human eye would have been able to follow.

The creature watched this all in slow motion, yawing disinterestedly as the taller of the two newcomers began to cheer expectantly.

With an almost dismissive wave of his hand and the slightest application of Ki, the net crumbled in several key locations, falling apart and crashing at his feet even as time seemed to return to normal.

"Yeah! We- What!", Yui shouted in disbelief as the thing that looked like Ryu smiled coldly at her and Chii.

"**_Perhaps now that that little distraction is taken care of,_**", he intoned, ignoring the loud yapping that came from somewhere inside the human domicile, preparing to turn back to Kanna, "**_we might_**­**_-_**"

His sentence was cut off as the _Sword of Two Souls_, blade, scabbard and all, impacted his skull with terrifying force, hurtling him across the courtyard and into the mud before he could right himself fully.

He turned a baleful glare on the young female who had dared to strike him as Kanna panted heavily, her wrists aching. It had been like hitting concrete rather than a person.

"Leave…them alone…and…get out…of Ryu!", she demanded, refusing to back down to his glowing gaze.

"**_You try my patience. You will all die for this insolence!_**", before Kanna could so much as blink he had crossed the distance between them, his figure a blur as he moved, one hand cocked back, his fingers hooked like claws.

"Kanna!", Yui and Chii cried at once as Kanna threw up her hands in an instinctive defence.

"Ryyyyyyyyyyyyu!".

Kanna peeked over her arms when a voice she had never heard before screamed Ryu's name, trying to make sense of what she saw as a young boy with shocks of purple hair seemed to blur into existence above Ryu, an oversized katana griped confidently over his head as he descended with a cry of pure hate.

Ryu moved, bending inhumanly as he rolled aside in time to avoid having his skull cleaved in two, growling as he turned to face this new opponent as the boy retrieved his half buried blade from the sodden earth with a fierce tug that rained mud everywhere.

He held the his blade low, letting the tip rest in the earth, as though the sword were too heavy for him to hold normally.

"So that's what the whole thing on the roof was about huh? Trying to make me lower my guard so I wouldn't interfere when you finally let the real you out huh Ryuuya", the new boy said with a smile that promised violence in the near future, "Well that's fine by me. I always wanted a chance to see you in action".

Kanna was utterly bewildered by this purple haired boy's claims, but she knew she had to stop him. It was clear he planned to kill Ryu. He didn't seem to know that Ryu had been possessed by this monster.

"Satomi!", he barked, "Take her away from here, I'll deal with this".

_Who is he talking to?_, Kanna thought, almost screaming when the air near her suddenly distorted, blurring into the form of a young girl, probably only about Chii's age with long red hair.

"Hai oni-chan!", she shouted back to him, taking Kanna's free hand in her own and tugging urgently, "Come on onee-chan, oni-chan will help Ryu-ni-chan".

Kanna was overwhelmed, and offered no resistance was the small girl guided her back in the direction of the house, Ryu's fiery gaze never leaving her.

There was too much to try and understand at once.

"Oni-chan! Don't hurt Ryu-ni-chan or I'll never forgive you!", the girl identified as Satomi shouted, earning a brief look of annoyance from the other youth but no other response one way or the other.

"Kanna!", Yui hugged her shaking and dazed friend when she was close enough, Satomi standing back a respectful distance and half watching her brother and Ryu with her hands clasped coyly behind her back.

The door behind them slid open and Mizuki, Natsuki and Ayu stepped out into the rain, coats secured around their pyjamas, stopping for a moment to try and make sense of what they were seeing.

"Kanna-chan?", Ayu asked, walking over to her friend, "What are you- Ryu!".

She ran past her friends, spotting Ryu facing off against a young boy she had never seen before with a sword, himself unarmed.

Her way was barred by a redheaded girl, equally new to her, who stood with her small arms outstretched and her childish face set with a stern expression.

"Oni-chan told me to keep everyone here so no one gets hurt. He's going to help Ryu-ni-chan", Satomi told her firmly.

"Help! He's attacking him!", Ayu shouted, her panic cresting.

"Listen to her", Kanna's strangely subdued voice caught Ayu's attention, drawing everyone's gaze to her as she pushed away from Yui, "There's something wrong with Ryu… something…I don't know, but he's not himself right now".

"Yeah, it's a long story, but Oni-chan knows what to do", Satomi piped up reassuringly seeing the bewildered expressions of the others, "He might not look it, but he's very smart, and very strong".

"What are you talking about? Who are you?", Ayu asked, trying once more, unsuccessfully, to bypass the smaller girl.

"We're Ryu-ni-chan's family of course", she answered as if it should have been obvious and that's when Kanna noticed it. In the light coming from the house, she could see the girl's eyes. Grey, like the colour of the sea on a cold day.

"Family?", Ayu asked. What kind of family attacked each other?

* * *

"Ready to die?", Kyosuke asked with a feral grin, falling in toward his centre and drawing upon the pulsing energy waiting there for his command.

"**_You're very amusing human. Do you really believe childish enthusiasm and a few sloppy techniques passed down amongst your defunct bloodline will help you, or this boy, at all?_**", the creature taunted, crimson eyes holding nothing but contempt.

"It was my family that defeated you last time, I'm just continuing the tradition", the purple haired boy smirked, "And if I have to hurt Ryu to beat you…well, that's just a bonus".

He tensed as the demon laughed, a hollow, unnatural sound that made him want to vomit.

"**_Humans… you really are an amusing race. You hold grudges against your kin, and rush to harm one another far to easily_**"

Kyosuke sneered, "I don't need to be lectured by a thing like you".

"**_What's wrong child? Still upset that this body received more attention from the man you admired than the boy everyone else acknowledged as a genius, even his self-absorbed father?_**", the thing barked a laugh, "**_How wonderfully tragic_**".

"That's enough out of you!", Kyosuke charged, the blade it looked like he couldn't move whipping up with blinding speed, whistling as it cut the air before him as it traced an arcing path up towards Ryu's face.

Ryu stepped back, grinning superiorly, opening his mouth to comment as Kyosuke suddenly scythed the blade around his head, aiming for his opponent's neck.

Moving faster than humanly possible to follow, Ryu dodged backward, taking to the air and landing several hundred feet away.

Kyosuke pivoted on one foot, allowing his momentum to carry him around as he bisected the air in front of him with a savage diagonal cut, gathering Ki and releasing it as he struck.

"_Serpent's Strike!_", the purple haired boy cried, the residents gapping as a snake like wave of energy roared toward Ryu, its maw opening as it streaked across the distance.

Ryu glared, racking his hand in front of him, the summoned serpent vanishing as if tore asunder by invisible claws.

"What the hell was that?", Yui asked Satomi as the little girl jumped and cheered.

Chii took something out of her pyjama pocket and waved it about in front of her, frowning at the blank displays.

"Oni-chan is just warming up", she assured the older woman, misunderstanding the question, "He's just testing how much power is currently being channelled through Ryu-ni-chan".

"Oh, right, of course, how stupid of me", Yui fired back deadpan as she watched Kyosuke repeat his trick three times in rapid succession, each attack blocked the same way.

"What is happening to him?", Ayu asked nervously.

"Hmmm? Oh…", Satomi shuffled her feet in the mud, frowning to herself, "Ryu-ni-chan has a…condition. It's hard to explain without telling you everything I know. Just trust us, we were asked to keep an eye on him in case something like this happened".

Kyosuke vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Ryu in a flash, whipping his blade around only to have it stopped as Ryu batted it aside with his bare hand, disappearing again before the older man could strike back, reappearing around him in a seemingly random pattern in his relentless assault.

Ryu spun striking the air just as Kyosuke phased back into existence, grinning wildly as the purple haired boy let out a startled cry as the air was forced from his lungs and his body was catapulted backward, landing with a dull splash in the midst of a growing puddle.

"**_Was that it human?_**", the demon asked as Kyosuke dragged himself back to his feet, "**_Your hero put up a much better fight_**".

"I haven't even started yet", Kyosuke wheezed, reaching up to pull his head band down over his eyes.

The creature inhabiting Ryu frowned, "**_Don't insult me boy, what do you think you can do blinded as you are now?_**".

The purple haired boy ignored him, falling deeper into himself, bathing himself in the life force that sustained him.

"We'll see…", slowly, from his new position, he opened his eyes, "_Dance of the Unseen Winds_".

* * *

"What is he doing?", Kanna asked.

Satomi smiled to herself, her face reflecting a deep sense of pride combined with awe, "The technique our father spent all of his teen years developing and mastering, something Oni-chan perfected when he was twelve: _The Dance of the Unseen Winds_. This is why everyone knows my brother is a true genius".

He voice turned more serious, tinged by sadness.

"Everyone expect the one person he really wanted recognition from, the man Oni-chan most admired… one of the only people who ever saw the good in Ryu-ni-chan…".

Yui's face scrunched up, "Why am I suddenly not comfortable with the idea of a boy with a grudge against Ryu-kun, 'helping' him with a sharp weapon".

Satomi smiled weakly, but her voice was solemn, "Ryu-ni-chan is a lot more dangerous than Oni-chan right now, but he'll come out of this… I hope".

Remembering his eyes, Kanna couldn't help but agree with the younger girl.

"Ryu…", Ayu whispered, Natsuki laying a comforting hand on the small girl's shoulder.

Unheeding of their audience, Kyosuke and Ryu fought on.

* * *

The demon snarled as his opponent's speed suddenly exploded, the small boy ducking and weaving, his weapon a blur of continuous movement.

Kyosuke pivoted on one foot, swing backhand in a decapitating stroke that Ryu ducked under, scything his foot at the smaller boy's legs.

The purple haired boy leapt above the attack, clearing Ryu's head and slashing downward as he inverted.

When he missed, Kyosuke landed lighter than a feather, driving in at Ryu as soon as his feet found purchase, his blade thrusting toward the blonde's chest.

His hands flashed in, catching the sword with his bare palms, hissing as the sharpened steel bit into his hands.

The blade was brought to a grating halt as Kyosuke through all of his Ki enhanced muscle behind the thrust, only to have it stopped by the impossible strength granted his adversary.

Forced to draw on reservoirs of power it hadn't planned on using, the creature snarled angrily, its pulsating, dark power arcing from Ryu's body before grounding explosively. Its eyes seemed to glow more intensely than before, Ryu's hair streaked with silver as the colour seemed to bleed from his scalp.

"What's…wrong?", Kyosuke forced a grin onto his face, "Didn't expect to have to actually use any of your power, did you? Tell me…how long can you keep this up before you have to return to how you were before?".

The creature let loose a wordless roar, and Kyosuke was knocked back as a wave of unseen force hurled him back like a solid blow to the gut from a stone fist.

"**_Don't flatter yourself. I have more than enough strength left to destroy you and the blade's feeble guardian_**", dark power oozed from Ryu's form, dripping and hissing, melting holes in the ground as it fell.

Ryu lowered himself, his hands hooked and claw like, all trace of colour completely bleached from his hair, now pure silver.

"Was it something I said?", Kyosuke asked with a sneer, setting his own guard, still seeing the world as few before him ever had, centring on the ugly, bruise like mass that circled the pale blue aura of a normal human before him, "Lets really let it all hang out, what do you say?"

By way of response, the creatures aura flared and it charged him, its Ki flowing along the fingers of its stolen form, creating ghost like claws of spiritual power that it pitted against his blade.

Channelling power along the hidden grooves and pathways within the weapon, Kyosuke blocked the strike, his new sight telling him the best path to take to allow the force of the rebound to guide his sword to its target with the maximum amount of speed and force.

Ryu hissed as he blocked the strike, crossing his hands and catching another between his Ki wreathed hands as the purple haired youth arched his back, striking over head behind himself, aiming to split Ryu's crown in two.

Releasing the blade, Kyosuke enhanced his physical strength and speed, a blur as he drove his elbow into Ryu's solar plexus, smiling as he heard a gasp and felt something snap.

Reaching up, he tugged his weapon free of Ryu's limp grasp, whipping it down and around, confident he was about to cut through the face that had always lingered in front of his uncle's eyes, blinding him to his own achievements, and the wisdom of his peers.

He felt a sharp pain in his wrist and his weapon was jarred loose, landing with a clatter several meters away.

Ryu ceased him by the front of the shirt, pulling him forward and hammering his stomach with an blow that sent all feeling in his lower body fleeing in an instant, followed by another that crack several ribs.

Kyosuke cried out in pain, blood spurting from his mouth even as he heard Satomi shout something at him.

"**_You see human, none of your ilk can defeat one such as I. Even your predecessor only slowed me for a time, your Clan has failed to rectify the mistakes they vowed to correct time and time again. One of you freed me, one of you failed to destroy me, another failed to contain me even after he promised himself he would, leading me to my goal in his delusions, and now you…_**", he leaned closer, "**_And now you are about to fail to stop me achieving my goal because you are more concerned about your petty revenge, because you didn't get the acknowledgement of your pathetic abilities you desired…anything you wish to say before you die?_**"

Kyosuke coughed loudly, grinning as blood trickled steadily down his chin.

"Yes actually", his fist, hanging limp at his side began to glow with an eerie green light, "I guess you really aren't Ryuuya, you talk too much".

The demon sensed something, a building of Ki, it's crimson eyes flicking down and widening at what it saw.

"**_That's not possible, you have no blade_**"

"Heh, not all of us are a limited as others, genius beats raw strength any day", he smirked as Ryu reached back, a claw of throbbing crimson energy congealing around his hand even as time seemed to slow.

"I did it…I activated both pathways at once, just like Father said I could…see you in hell Ryu", Kyosuke smiled at the almost still image of his sister, her face moving slowly into a look of horror as she tried to call out to him, the other girls around her shouting out their own entreaties or just staring at what it appeared to them was about to happen.

The purple haired boy was saddened that this fight was going to end like this. He had foreseen a glorious battle in which the full extent of his skills was showcased.

At least he knew he would complete the mission given to him, and if Ryu survived this he could rest in the knowledge it would plague his rival's conscience for the rest of his life.

He turned back to Ryu, frowning as an unidentifiable expression passed across Ryu's face, his head beginning to turn even as the claw descended.

"Why did Uncle die for you?", Kyosuke asked, finally able to ask something he had waited for years to get off his mind, knowing there was no way Ryu could hear him, let alone answer, "_Bladeless Technique: Serpent's Palm_".

Kyosuke's hand opened, his arm rearing back and thrusting back toward Ryu with all the strength he could muster.

The world returned to normal, time resuming its customary flow.

Blood sprayed from the purple haired boy's mouth as Ryu's attack pierced his flesh at the same moment his hand hit his rival's chest.

Kyosuke saw his Uncle's lopsided smile as he patted him on the head before turning away, walking back toward his beautiful, raven haired aunt, and the boy who stood next to her, his face devoid of any trace of humanity.

Ryu felt as if he were falling, hurtling toward something as a pair of crimson eyes glowered at him in the darkness.

The world was torn away in a devastating flash of brilliant white light…

* * *

---Author's Note---

Long time since my last update I know, but things have been hectic, and it's only going to get worse, so don't be surprised if I vanish for a while.

Ok, chapter discussion. The last of the family issues should be obvious now if they're not already, but I'm still going to overtly state things in the last chapter…yeah, you read right, last chapter is the next one.

Chapter 12: Honesty; In the fallout of Ryu and Kyosuke's battle, the girls learn about Ryu's darkest secret and Ryu disappears. How will they react to his troubled past? Can the fragile bonds between him and two of our favourite residents survive the onslaught? And what has happened to Kanna?

All this and more, coming soon.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	13. Chapter 11: Honesty

Chapter 12: Honesty

The lightning and thunder might have passed, but the rain continued to drum its melancholy beat on the roof and windows of the Hinata Sou. A continuous monotony of sound that filled the deafening silence the permeated the rest of the building.

A fitting atmosphere considering the moods of the residents as they gathered in the dining room, all nursing a cup of hot tea provided by Ayu, the blue haired girl in question the only one not seated, instead hovering near the door to the living room nervously.

Yui ran a hand through her long blond locks, trying to make sense of what they had all seen as she observed how the others were taking things.

Chii was sitting with Chiho on her lap, stroking the puppy absently as the snow white animal keened and yapped consolingly, not sure what was troubling his mistress but sympathetic to her plight regardless.

Mizuki was caught somewhere between yawning and fidgeting, clearly wanting to do something, anything, to help, but unsure as to what she could actually achieve if she tried.

Natsuki simply sat, attempting to reassure everyone by providing a stable and calming influence, sipping at her tea quietly and smiling whenever she caught one of the other girls' eye.

Ema by comparison seemed halfway to a breakdown.

She had been asleep throughout the entire…incident, and as such had no idea what had really happened or why, having only recently been woken and confronted with the aftermath.

Not a particularly sturdy woman by nature she was all but leaning on Natsuki as she fretted about what all of this meant for both her tenants and herself, having forgotten that as the oldest woman present, she was supposed to be doing what Natsuki was doing for her younger peers.

Ayu was still pacing, her small hands playing with the front of her nightdress unconsciously, and Kanna…

Kanna hadn't said a word since they all moved in here, just sat and stared at the tabletop lifelessly, her face void of any expression.

Yui wondered if she should try and rouse the girl, but a soft shake of the head from Natsuki as she made to stand killed that idea.

She couldn't blame Kanna for being a little shocked. After all, what they had seen…

---_ Yui shielded her eyes as the scouring flare of white light threatened to tear away her ability to see._

_She heard the gasps and cries of the others as they similarly protected themselves from blindness, but above it all were two very clear shouts._

"_RYU!"_

_It was easy to discern who amongst their group had cried out. Just as it was obvious who the first two to leave them as soon as everyone could see again would be._

_Kanna and Ayu, two girls that couldn't have had less in common when it came to physical prowess, matched each other perfectly as the raced across the distance towards where the explosion of luminescence had originated._

_Squinting to clear the last of its effects, and swiping rain clogged tresses of blond hair away from her face, Yui felt her eyes go wide as they relayed to her what they saw._

_Where Ryu and the purple haired boy had been fighting, there was now a shallow crater, not much bigger than the living area of the Hinata Sou, smoking lightly, the scorched earth hissing as the rain pelted it._

"_This isn't…", Yui couldn't find words to explain what had happened and so trailed off into silence._

"_Oni-chan!", the girl identified as Satomi almost knocked Yui over on her daze as she rushed past her and away from the protective embrace Natsuki had shielded her with when her brother did… whatever it was he had done._

_Yui recovered as Chii lay a questioning hand on her arm, her small face clearly worried and not just for her cousin._

"_Ryu…", was all she said, Yui taking the unvoiced cue and nodding, leading the smaller girl by the hand toward where Ayu, Kanna and Satomi stood, the others trailing after them._

_When they reached them, Kanna and Ayu were trying to pierce the smoke, and Satomi was yelling for her brother at the top of her lungs, babbling something about not being able to _sense_ them._

_For many anxious minutes, the residents waited for the smoke to clear, the unnatural heat of the depression slowly sapping their collective hopes of finding the pair alive and undamaged._

_When the grey cloud eventually cleared, the first thing they all saw was a shock of purple hair._

"_Oni-chan!", Satomi leapt across the intervening distance with a grace and ease most athletes would envy, landing on the ground near her brother, surprised to find it was cool, and cradling her brother's head on her tiny lap._

"_Oni-chan, oni-chan wake up", she sniffled when he didn't respond to her non-vocal ministrations._

_She looked up as she heard a gasp of pain to see Kanna picking her way over to where she knelt, Ayu close behind her._

"_Is he…", Ayu tried to ask as Kanna brushed straight past the small redhead without pause, the _Sword of Two Souls_ held tight in her white knuckled grasp._

"_He won't answer me", Satomi was clearly on the verge of tears, openly crying when Ayu enveloped her in a comforting hug._

_As if she couldn't hear or see any of it, Kanna ignored them, her search for the second member of this dual continuing unabated._

"_Come on Ryu", she muttered, what she told herself was rainwater stinging her eyes as her pulse raced, "You can't be dead. Idiots don't die; they live forever and bug you"._

_Stumbling around in the dark, Kanna's feet hit something solid and unmoving._

_Crouching down her hands fumbled before they found it. Something soft yet unyielding, something that smelled faintly of burnt meat, still slightly warm._

_Eventually her hands found the things chest, her tears falling unchecked as she felt movement, slow and steady._

_Something alive._

_A light snapped on behind her as Chii lead the way over to them, one of her small torches lighting their way and happening upon her and Ryu for a moment as it searched._

"_Over here!", she called, waving to the others as the torchlight swept back to her, "I found him! He's alive"._

_She smiled down at him, wondering just what had happened to him but relieved he was ok for now at least. He looked different, and she was sure it wasn't just the torchlight or the rain playing tricks with her eyes._

_His hair was no longer blond. Instead rain plaster ebony locks of hair clung to his face over closed eyes._

"_Someone help me get him inside", she began repositioning him as best she could while carrying the sword, trying to sling one of his arms over her shoulder._

"_Don't…touch…him", a pain racked voice hissed over the sound of the rain, shocking everyone as one of Kyosuke's sea grey eyes opened to a slit._

"_Oni-chan!", Satomi hugged her brother fiercely, relenting only when he couldn't stop himself crying out from the agony of his wounds, the savage looking gash in his stomach and the multiple angry looking burns._

"_Oni-chan…", Satomi sniffled, smiling with lipid eyes._

"_Don't…touch him", Kyosuke forced out, ignoring his sister when she told him not to speak for fear of aggravating his injuries, "It's…not safe. It wants…the sword…the only reason it has been near you this…whole time. Stay away from him"._

"_But…I-", Kanna protested, feeling something wrench in her gut._

"_No!", the level of Kyosuke's objection shocked them all, and he swooned for a moment as if he would pass out at any second, "…no…just…no…"._

_Kanna followed numbly when Natsuki led her aside so that the others could help Ryu, holding the sword across her chest like a small girl might clutch at a doll._

_As the residents carefully moved the two injured boys, Satomi coordinating their efforts from the side of her once more unconscious brother, Kanna stood, the rain stinging her eyes._

"_Kanna-chan", Yui's voice was gentle as she placed her hands on the soaked shoulders of her young friend, "We're all going inside now. Ryu is going to be fine, I promise, I'm sure you can talk to him at least later, so lets go inside… ok?"._

_Kanna didn't respond, just allowed Yui to steer her back toward the house…_---

The door swung open slowly and a tired looking Satomi came in, rubbing at her puffy grey eyes, stopping and giving a small smile when she noticed all eyes upon her… all eyes except Kanna's.

"How are they?", Ayu asked, peering at the younger girl intensely.

"Oni-chan is sleeping, he'll be fine eventually, the cut to his stomach wasn't very deep".

"What about Ryu?", Yui asked, seeing the real question Ayu wanted to ask.

"…His wounds are gone…", she glanced at her feet to avoid seeing the varying expressions of the girls around her.

"…What do you mean Satomi-chan? He was burned just as badly as your brother. That sort of thing doesn't just vanish", Ayu pointed out, concerned that the stress of the whole thing might be getting to the young girl. Very bad news for the rest of the group, as the red haired girl was the only one of them that seemed to have any understanding of what was going on.

Satomi's small face scrunched up at the unintentional tone Ayu had used, but she calmed herself quickly.

"It's part of Ryu-ni-chan's…condition…", she appeared to be having trouble deciding how much she could tell them.

"The same 'condition' that had him tearing up the house and attacking Kanna?", Yui asked bluntly, ignoring the looks Natsuki gave her, "Don't look at me like that. If he's going to go psycho on us at any moment, I think we have the right to know".

"It's more…complicated, than that", Satomi said, coming to the defence of her cousin as best she could without revealing any of the things her brother had told her not to talk about.

"Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us", Yui drawled sarcastically.

"I can't. Oni-chan said not to talk about this with anyone outside the Clan", the way she grimaced showed she'd already given something away.

"Clan?", Yui asked, opening her mouth to press the girl for more information when nothing else seemed forthcoming.

"I don't think she will tell us anything else", Mizuki pointed out, trying to calm her friend.

"Please Satomi-chan", Ayu spoke up, taking the redhead's hands when she tried to look away, "You won't be in trouble, we just need to know what's wrong with Ryuuya. We all care about him…"

Yui noticed the glance the timid girl threw the near catatonic Kanna.

Satomi shuck her head sadly, "No one cares about Ryu-ni-chan except me and Auntie".

"Why do you say that Satomi-chan?", Ayu asked, her voice kindly rather then offended.

"…", Satomi bit her lip, "…Because they all think like Oni-chan, they can't see it's not his fault…".

"What's not his fault?", Yui asked.

Satomi seemed to go through another struggle before coming to a decision.

"Onee-chan", her direct and forceful address took Ayu aback for a moment.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you love Ryu-ni-chan?", she couldn't help but grin as the older girl flushed from head to toe and began to mumble noncommittal sentences to herself while attempting to hide behind her bangs.

"I do", the younger girl stated, blushing a little herself.

"I know how Onee-chan feels", she gazed between Ayu and the unresponsive Kanna, "but what about everyone else?".

The other girls looked among themselves questioningly.

"Ara, of course we do, he's our friend", Natsuki stated.

"Like she said. It's certainly been more entertaining since he moved in", Yui added, Mizuki nodding her agreement.

"Chii likes Ryu", Chii announced without looking up from where she was still playing with Chiho.

"It's my job to care about all of my tenants", Ema voiced, wondering where all of this was going.

Satomi smiled to herself for a moment before her face became more solemn.

"Ok… Oni-chan is going to be very angry with me, but all the people who care for Ryu-ni-chan deserve to know the truth", there was an expectant silence in the small room as everyone focused their full attention on the young girl as she visibly braced herself.

"Ever since Ryu-ni-chan was little, he has been shunned by all the people of our Clan. I come from a family that exists outside of the normal channels and lines that most peoples follow. We are a group that passes on and continues to perfect the Special Arts, protecting and advising the country in secret", she paused to gauge the residents' reactions, ploughing on when no one tried to interrupt her, "Our people deal with things most of you think are just myths and stories, developing techniques to deal with evil-".

"You mean those snake things that were coming from your brother's sword?", Yui asked.

"They made no echo on Chii's instruments", the younger of the cousins said, sparing Satomi a curious sidelong glance.

"They are one example, yes. We are taught from an early age to control our Ki, the life force that sustains each individual, and harness it as a weapon. Most things are easier to damage with spiritual as opposed to physical energy… and some things can only truly be killed with it. We call these creatures demons".

"What are you trying to say?", Ayu asked, not liking the implications of this conversation.

Satomi gave her a look that pleaded understanding and Ayu fell silent again.

"Such techniques have been used over the centuries as our way of destroying evil demons… that is why Oni-chan used them on Ryu-ni-chan… he is possessed by a particularly vengeful beast", she braced herself as she saw Yui building up to an objection, cutting in before she could speak, "It sounds strange I know, but can any of you explain what changed his personality so much and so suddenly? Or gave him such strength and speed, or made him attack one of his friends without warning?".

The residents looked amongst each other, but none of them could offer up an alternate answer.

Unseen by the others, Kanna clenched her hand beneath the table.

"Where did it come from?", Ayu asked quietly.

"Only Ryu-ni-chan and Auntie know… there was one other person…but he died…", Satomi glanced back over her shoulder toward the living area where Ryu and Kyosuke lay.

"How?", Yui asked, sensing there was more to be told.

"…Ryu-ni-chan killed him", the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife after that announcement.

"R-Ryu, he…no…no I that can't be true", Ayu stuttered, shaking off Natsuki's hand when she tried to calm her, "Ryu wouldn't do something like that".

"No, he wouldn't", Satomi agreed, glad that no one had decried Ryu's name or tried to suggest he be removed from the building, "But the thing inside him would, and it has".

Satomi leant back against the wall; her hands held behind her back, her head bowed.

"When Ryu-ni-chan was ten years old, the creature took possession of his body for the first time, seeking the sword it went after again today", she glanced at Kanna through her fringe before returning to her story, "The guardian of the time tried to stop him… there was a fight and he was killed. The demon had used up too much of it's strength however, and it lost control, finding itself forced back inside Ryu-ni-chan".

A single tear struck the floor.

"For him, it had been like going to sleep…and then waking up covered in blood as the guardian's corpse cooled in front of him", she swallowed back a sob as the others gasped collectively.

"Oh Ryu…", Ayu felt her own eyes tearing.

"There's more…isn't there?", Yui asked, grimacing as Satomi nodded numbly.

"The person he killed…was someone very important to both Oni-chan, and all the people who already didn't trust him. The only person who had never had second thoughts about him, and someone very dear to Auntie…", she paused to collect herself.

"His Father… he killed his own Father, didn't he", Yui felt a tightness in her chest.

Satomi nodded again slowly.

"Uncle was the head of our Clan, so when he was killed by his own future heir, a boy the majority already though should have been 'taken care of', leaving him as Head, the Clan revolted. If not for Auntie, he would probably be dead right now. She managed to convince the others that he could learn to control the creature, turning its strength to our advantage", she looked up, "They watched him like vultures, waiting for the slightest slip, and Ryu-ni-chan killed each little piece of himself that made him human in attempts to convince them he was in control, but it was never enough. They could never forgive him even though it wasn't his fault…Oni-chan, couldn't forgive him".

She remembered the day Kyosuke had learned that their Uncle was dead. Her earliest memory was of her brother screaming in anger and sorrow.

"Uncle was a hero in Oni-chan's eyes, someone who took away all the bad things in our Clan. It was because of him I was able to train alongside Oni-chan and Ryu-ni-chan when I was old enough. So when Ryu, someone Oni-chan already hated because of all the attention Uncle gave him without us knowing why at the time, killed him. Kyosuke devoted all of his talent to becoming strong enough to avenge him on the thing inside Ryu…but somewhere along the way he forgot whom it was he was meant to be fighting as he saw Ryu getting private tutoring once again, and growing stronger and stronger because of it", she let out a long breath, "If this keeps going, one of them is going to die some day…".

* * *

Ayu sat alone in her room, hunched over on her futon as she and the others tried to sleep and process everything they had just learned.

Ryu was the Head of a powerful family. He had a cousin who hated him because he had killed his own Father and then been protected from punishment.

He harboured a creature of unbelievable malignance and evil inside of him…

What did that mean for them?

The floorboards creaked as the wind buffeted the house before the old structure settled again.

Ryu had committed an unspeakable atrocity.

_No_, she corrected herself. Not him, but the thing lurking inside his body. She had seen the real Ryuuya, blushed for him, cried over him, laughed with him, shared quiet moments and comforted him when fear clawed at his heart.

Nothing could convince her to turn on him now, but still, she needed time to figure out what to do about all of this, they all did.

Did she still feel the same about him knowing what she did now? That there was a monster sleeping inside of him, and that many of his own family wanted any excuse to kill him.

It occurred to her that after an incident like this, such people might get their wish.

Somewhere a door opened and closed loudly, the pounding rain temporarily getting louder before returning to its normal volume.

Ayu was gripped by a sudden and powerful panic.

What if Kyosuke had been wrong, and he was not the only person who had found Ryu? Even now there could be someone who had witnessed the fight and was preparing to carry out the will of their superiors.

She was up and out of her room before she realised she had even stood, heedless of her attire as she raced down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time when she reached them.

She was panting slightly when she reached the living area where they had left the two unconscious boys, none of them strong enough to move them upstairs and all agreed that if either took a turn for the worst, dropping them down the stairs in the rush to get them to a hospital wouldn't be very helpful.

Though in Ryu's case, it was doubtful he would need treatment.

After listening to Satomi's tale, they had been allowed to visit the two boys briefly, and though Kyosuke still looked as if he should by all rights be dead, Ryu seemed only to be sleeping.

The burns that had marred his skin were gone without a trace, not even a small scar to mark were they had once been.

He appeared fine, although he was sweating as if the room were sweltering rather than cool, but Satomi had said she didn't think there was anything they could do to help that.

She padded across the wooden floors, breathing a little easier when she found Kyosuke exactly where they had left him, sleeping soundly if somewhat uncomfortably.

She walked around the sofa, checking on him momentarily, before turning her attention toward where the second 'patient' lay.

"No…", she breathed, her eyes darting wildly about the room.

Ryu was gone.

The blue haired girl screwed her eyes up, hoping that perhaps because of the recent changes in his appearance, that she had just missed him in the darkness.

When she looked again, the place he had lain was still absent.

_Where could…_, she gasped as she remembered what had brought her down here in the first place, _The door!_

Treading swiftly but carefully, Ayu moved to the door, fumbling around in the dark in the entrance way, counting the objects she encountered.

"No…", one set of footwear was missing, "No!"

"Ayu?", Yui's groggy voice spun her on the spot, the older girl massaging the growing bags under her eyes as Mizuki and Chii descended the stairwell behind her, "What are you doing? They'll be fine till morning, go to bed".

"Ryu's gone!", she blurted, suddenly ceased with a worry for him that surpassed anything she had ever felt.

"Calm down, perhaps he just when to the toilet or something", Yui said, issuing the first possibility that came to mind, while she shuffled on her feet, the house suddenly feeling a lot less safe than it usually did for some reason.

Ayu shook her head vehemently, "That's not it, he's gone. I know he is".

"Why is everyone up? We shouldn't be in here, they need rest", Satomi said, bringing up the rear of the group in an oversized t-shirt Chii had lent her.

"Ryu's missing", Yui informed her, watching the small girl's expression carefully for any signs of fear.

Surprisingly to Yui, she saw only concern in the younger girl's grey eyes.

"Then we have to find out where he went, and fast. I don't think the demon can do anything after using up all that power, but it wasn't supposed to be able to get out at all in the first place", Satomi admitted, "We should split up and search this place quickly".

Although Yui objected at first they swiftly paired off, rousing Ema and Natsuki to aid the search, but forced to leave Kanna when none of them could rouse her and scouring the building from top to bottom.

"Anything?", Ayu asked when they all met back up in the living room.

"No", Satomi answered with a small shake of her head, a similar response coming from Ema and Natsuki, " What about you two?".

"Only this", Mizuki pointed to the empty guitar case that Yui was holding.

"You know, I've always wondered what was in this thing. Seems a little anti-climatic…though in this case that might be a good thing", Yui said.

Satomi eyed the case curiously for a moment, "But Ryu-ni-chan doesn't play guitar…so why would…".

Her eyes lit up happily for a moment, "Auntie's sword! So he did take it with him!".

Yui paled a little, "Sword? Oh great, we have an unstable, demon possessed guy who's just had the crap beaten out of him by his rival, running around somewhere with a sharp weapon!".

She gulped a little when Ayu glared at her fiercely, surprised that the small girl could actually produce such a reaction and wondering why she had chosen to evoke such a response from her.

"Don't talk like that about Ryu!", she shouted, her small hands balling into fists, "You're making him sound like some sort of dangerous animal".

"And isn't he?", Yui fired back, her spunk and fear for both the safety of herself and her friends rising back to the forefront, "In case you forgot, he attacked Kanna a little while ago. I know it wasn't his fault, but if not for his cousin she might be dead right now, and maybe the rest of us as well. So forgive me if being told he's also armed now puts me a little on edge!".

The blue haired girl bit her lip but didn't back down, "I don't care what you say. Ryu would never hurt Kanna…or, the rest of us".

"He already has hurt someone though, and I'm not talking about his cousin", Yui pointed out, feeling dirty for using such a cold but abject reminder, but needing to pierce the rose tinted haze the younger woman was still viewing their friend through.

Yui wasn't trying to turn anyone against him, but she would do her best to protect her friends, her family. Just like her cousin these were important matters to her, and if she had to break one person's idealised image to do so…

"I think that's enough", Mizuki spoke for Yui's ears alone as Ayu fought back the tears that clearly wanted to fall.

"…He wouldn't…", Ayu sniffled.

"Onee-chan, don't cry, everything will be ok", Satomi piped up, "Ryu-ni-chan will be fine as long as he has that sword".

"Yeah, put what about the rest of us?", Yui yelped as someone pinched her, spinning and pinning the innocently smiling Natsuki with baleful stare.

"As long as he has that, we will be fine. The sword Ryu-ni-chan was given is a cursed blade, it has the soul of an Oni sealed inside of it", she pronounced, waiting for the others to understand but receiving only vaguely horrified expressions.

"Oh, right, none of you have been taught what we learn, have you", she slapped her head, berating herself as she realised how what she had said must sound to an outsider to the Special Arts, "Ok, you remember what I mentioned about Ki? Ki is an internal energy that exists in all things. Certain types of thing have certain types of Ki. Human spiritual energy has no real set restrictions or defining attributes. It can flow freely into mist places and merge with other things, which is what allows my family to focus it through weapons, taking on a little piece of the things being used, it's 'intent' and shaping the energy accordingly. In other words, focusing controlled Ki through something designed to hurt, makes it harmful to anything it encounters, though some people, like my Father, Brother and my sensei, have learned to do this without a medium object".

She sweat-dropped as it became clear she had only confused them.

"…Ok, the point is Ki is adaptable in people, but demonic Ki is not, it's like…it's like the field of a magnet, well, actually more like a single pole-", her explanation was cut off by Yui.

"Is anyone else both lost and wondering what the hell this had to do with anything?".

Satomi flushed indignantly, opening her mouth to reply, but being beaten to the punch by Chii.

"Magnets of like poles repel each other. If sword's demon is near Ryu, then the one inside him can't come out", she looked over at Satomi for confirmation, receiving a sharp nod.

"Exactly…but…"

"I knew there would be a 'but'", Yui groused.

"The one sealed in the sword Ryu holds isn't very strong, it's just a buffer really. If Ryu isn't strong enough, the demon inside him could still take over again", Satomi's childish face was pinched with seriousness.

"So we still need to find him", Yui deadpanned.

The red haired girl blushed and smiled, nodding weakly.

"Then let's go!", Ayu demanded, frustrated that they were wasting valuable time.

"But wait, if he already has one sword, why does he want Kanna's, is it valuable or something?", Mizuki enquired.

"That's not something…outsiders…need to know", a voice echoed over from the couch.

"Oni-chan!", Satomi rushed to her brother's side, "You're awake, how to do feel?"

"Just great", Kyosuke spat sarcastically, ignoring her protests as he sat up, "How long has Ryu been missing?"

"A few hours we think", Satomi said, giving up on trying to restrain him as he swung his legs over the edge of the sofa, instead supporting him as he wheezed and panted his way into a sitting position.

"Then we have to go after him", Kyosuke said, "Where is the girl, the guardian?".

The residents looked amongst each other.

"Upstairs resting as far as we know, she wouldn't answer the door when knocked", Yui said, acting as spokesperson for the group by default.

"As far as you know? Ryu is missing and no one has thought to check on the girl he attacked first?", Kyosuke snorted derisively as the others paled.

Yui left them all in a hurry, returning a few minutes later with a panicked expression on her face.

"She's gone as well", that announcement set off a minor maelstrom of conversation throughout the room.

"Kuso", Kyosuke cursed, "If he's taken her we could all be in a lot of trouble. That thing wants my Uncle's Sword for a reason, and I'd rather not find out just what that is".

"He has Auntie's blade with him Oni-chan", Satomi pointed out, "So it's probably Ryu we're dealing with, not the demon".

Kyosuke's expression showed clearly what he thought of that reassurance.

"You will all wait here", Kyosuke ordered, sweating as Satomi helped him to his feet as he restrained the urge to curse in ways that would have had his mother disown him, pain blossoming in his stomach as he held an arm loosely over it, unable to shake the image of him doing so being the only thing keeping his innards inside.

"What? We can't, we can find Ryu and Kanna much faster if we all look", Ayu objected.

"And if it isn't your _friend_ waiting anymore? What will you all do", Kyosuke's voice was pure venom and his gaze made Ayu shudder involuntarily.

There was such hatred in this young man, and worse, she could understand why he felt that way, even if it was directed at the wrong target.

"What will _you_ do?", Yui asked stepping between Kyosuke's chilling glare and Ayu, "Bleed over him?".

The purple haired boy moved his arm to better shield the bloodstains covering his shirt and abdomen around the savage gash.

A little manipulation of his Ki had accelerated his healing as much as humans were capable of, scabbing over the open wound and taking the sting out of his burns, but it would be a long time before he was anywhere near full health again, and the possessed Ryu had fought him to a standstill without whatever it sort from the _Sword of Two Souls_ assisting it.

"I'm better qualified than anyone here", he winced as Satomi 'accidentally' trod on his foot, offering her a withering look that seemed to completely pass her by, "So is Satomi".

"Please, everyone, just trust us. We have the best chance of finding Ryu-ni-chan before anything happens", Satomi looked at each of them in turn.

"…Fine, but nothing better happen to either of them", Yui folded her arms across her chest, her emerald gaze narrowing in on Kyosuke, "Do we understand each other?".

"Perfectly", he said, smiling sarcastically, probably the closest the purple haired boy ever came to giving an 'outsider' a genuine smile.

With Satomi assisting him he made his way over to the door.

Satomi glanced back over her shoulder, hesitating for a moment before propping him against the doorframe and running back over to where Ayu stood.

"Don't worry Onee-chan", she said with her best smile, taking the older girl's hands in her own, "We'll bring him back safely, I promise".

* * *

The rain had long since plastered Kanna's hair to her head, but she didn't care. She didn't even really notice how the limp tresses clung to her face when they weren't being lashed around by the wind.

She was soaked and chilled, having only a simple jacket pulled absently around her thin night clothes, her feet particularly cold as the icy water seeped threw the thin protective barrier of her shoes.

She had come out here when the confines of her room threatened to close in around her, feeling the need, as she always did when she had something big on her mind, to move, to run.

She may not have been running right now, but she was certainly thinking.

She was thinking about Ryu. A popular subject for her these days, but with a distinctly different flavour this time around.

Ryu had attacked her. Or was that true? No, it hadn't been him, it had been the creature that hide inside him.

Ryu was a monster.

She shook her head, trying to come to terms with that fact, rattails of hair whipping back and forth.

He had killed his own Father. The man she…her friend, was a murderer.

Try as she might, she just couldn't fit such things in with her knowledge of the blond haired brooder. Ryu was a lot of things: he was an idiot, a moron, hopeless, helpless, clueless, cold, uncaring and the biggest jerk she had ever met…but he also had a sweet, kind side he tried so hard to ignore.

She'd seen that when they went on their date and before that when he had been attempting t mend things between them, the time in the basement with Chii and other times throughout his stay, like when he'd come watch her run, even if she didn't bug him to do so.

She admitted part of her liked his small smile of congratulations even more than the praise from her coach at times…

With all of this in mind, it was hard to reconcile the two images. Ryu the friend and Ryu the killer. Which one was right? Which one was real?

Kanna tripped as her foot caught on the lip of fractured paving tile, and she landed with a splash on a large puddle, just allowing herself to lye there unmoving as the water permeated her thin clothing.

Was it even really a question?

She knew the answer; she was just trying to hide from it, that was why she was out her, why she was running away.

Ryu, if there had ever really been such a person, was just after the Sword her father had asked her to take care of; the one those scabbard was now digging painfully into her gut where she had fallen on it.

All that time, all that laughter. The arguments, tears, joy and sorrow, making a fool of herself competing against her best friend for him, all of it had been a lie.

It had all been so he could get the Sword. It had never been about her, his cousin had said as much.

Ryu had never cared.

She curled into a ball, shivering. Ryu was an unfeeling killer… so why did she feel like she had just lost her best friend?

"Ryu…"

"Now what have we here?", a voice asked, but she felt to drained to look to see who it was, "I think someone up there still likes me after all. It's nice to see you again Urashima-san".

Kanna raised a weary head, her eyes going wide as she found herself looking into the bespectacled orbs of Toshima Takahashi.

"I was hoping to run into you and the young man in your acquaintance at some time or other, but I'll settle for you alone", he smiled snake like at her, standing back up and snapping his fingers.

Three large shadows descended.

Kanna screamed.

* * *

Ryu sat on the small park bench with his head tilted back so that the cooling rain could wash away the last traced of his healing fever.

A strange by-product of his possession, the demon inside him would actually accelerate his healing far beyond that which even specialists in the field could achieve, healing in seconds what might take hours or even days naturally, but leaving in its place a raging fever.

Why the demon bothered to do this Ryu couldn't say. Perhaps he feared that if Ryu died with him inside, he would perish also.

Death, he supposed, would seem a most mortifying concept for a creature that was supposed to be immortal.

Then again, it could just have been that it wished to keep him in perfect health until it could attempt another take over like the one he had just experienced.

Ryu held his hands up before him, inspecting them under the harsh glow of a nearby streetlamp for what must have been the millionth time, still fearful that he would blink and they would be covered with the blood of another person he cared for.

He let loose a shuddering breath.

He had been made to relieve the death of his Father while locked in his enforced slumber. To re-experience every soul shredding heart tearing moment of it as if he was actually there.

Closing his eyes he could still see it now.

---_ Ryuuya woke with a start, unable to tell what had awoken him, but gripped with a stark and terrible fear, as if some beast with talons of ice were clawing at his very soul._

_To the ten-year-old boy, the once comforting, familiar sight of his room, suddenly seemed dark and oppressive, as if the shadows hid some malevolent intruder, waiting to do him harm._

_Try as he might, he couldn't contain this choking, smothering fear as it threatened to overwhelm his small mind and drive him mad._

_None of the calming exercises taught to him by his tutors and senseis could stifle the sensation, and his breathing was becoming increasingly laboured as his heart pounded like a drum in his chest._

_It hurt. _

_It hurt more than anything he had ever experienced before, a raging mental and physical anguish that eclipsed all that had come before, and making his grip on the now tenuous at best._

_All of his limbs ached and itched as if they were trying to grow to maturity in one night and failing, his chest felt ready to explode, and his eyes, his eyes burned with an itch that made him want to rip them from their sockets just to be rid of the sensation._

_He tried to call out but the air froze in his lungs and his vocal cords locked._

_The darkness was closing in on him, getting smaller and smaller, trying to wall him off from something._

_Scared and confused, he could only stare wide eyed as features of a pale, almost effeminate face seemed to melt out of the shadows above his bed, massive in proportion and yet that was not what made it so horrific._

_Looking upon it, Ryuuya could tell that all this thing existed for was to harm, to maim, to kill, and all simply as a part of its natural state._

_Then the thing that would haunt his nightmares of this day forever more happened._

_Slowly, as if wanting to bring the full impact of the action to bare on its young audience, the creature opened its eyes._

_Blood red eyes, full of malice and hate, glared down on the small boy as the things lips quirked into a sadistic expression of pleasure._

"_**Yes**", it hissed, "**Free at last despite all the fools efforts**"._

_It focused on him, its toothy grin widening as Ryuuya tried to move only to find his muscles limp and unresponsive._

"_**Almost, but you will help me with the last thing I must do. It will be a most delicious revenge**", an inhuman laugh reverberated around the room as the face seemed to plunge toward him._

_Mercifully, or so he thought at the time, everything went black.---_

Ryu's throat tightened as he recalled how relieved he had felt when consciousness fled, feeling safe and untouchable buried deep inside his own mind.

"Father…"

He had been so very wrong.

--- _When Ryuuya woke next, his first thoughts were for the monster that had invaded his room, the young boy's gaze darting about fearfully as he dragged his strangely tired and aching body off the cold wooden floor on which he had woken, jumping a little as there was a crash of thunder outside, momentarily obliterating the soothing patter of the rain._

_He stared, uncomprehendingly at the room with its high-beamed ceiling, unvarnished floors and musty smell._

_This was not his room._

_Before he could try to figure out where he was and why he was there, the door behind him burst inwards, startling the young boy, but he was soon on his feet when he saw who stood there._

_Garbed in a kimono of pure white that blended seamlessly with her porcelain skin, her long raven hair trailing behind her and her sword gripped tightly in one hand, his Mother would have been a sight of awe and beauty to any who glimpsed her._

"_Mother, what happened? Where am…I…", he trailed off when he spotted the others standing behind her, his youthful face turning cold as the council men he knew almost as well as his own family ushered themselves in in her wake, each man returning his expression with one of their own._

"_So, it has finally happened", one of them said, his grave tone and hateful gaze unnerving Ryuuya in a way it never had before, "The creature shows it's true form"._

_His mother didn't respond like she usually would, she stepped past him, Ryuuya following her as she stooped in front of something partially hidden my the shadows._

_Ryu crawled closer, feeling something fall in his stomach as his mother turned to him with a look of sorrow in her eyes, her look pleading and disbelieving at once._

_Ryuuya's eyes when wide as he saw what she was cradling._

_His Father lay unmoving, his head on his Mother's lap, her once white kimono stained a dull and vivid red._

_At first, Ryuuya didn't understand what he was seeing. The older man appeared to merely be sleeping, his face set into an all too familiar lopsided grin and his eyes closed._

"_Father?", he reached out one small hand drawing it closer to his face as it seemed to shine in the moonlight._

_A thick, sticky crimson fluid dripped wetly from his small digits, his hands trembling as he came to realise what he was seeing._

_The meaning of his Father's stillness suddenly became all too apparent._

"_Father!", he tried to rush forward only to find himself restrained by gnarled hands as the council men moved to bar his way._

"_Restrain the beast", the eldest of them ordered, Ryuuya struggling against their surprisingly strong and agile grasps._

"_Father!", he called again, catching a glimpse through the throng of his mother standing and drawing her sword with barely a whisper of steel on wood._

"_Release my son!", she commanded, the blackened steel glinting wickedly in the dim light, drawing back her weapon when she was ignored, "Now! _Boulder Cutting Blade!_"._

_The old men were scattered like leaves in the wind hurled against the walls and floor in ways that should have shattered men so old and supposedly fragile, but they were soon on their feet once more, though not as fast as they once would have been._

"_You will not touch my son", she said icily, staring them down as she stepped in front of him, her sword held in one hand before her, the blood on her robes making her look like a vengeful angel._

"_It is not your child anymore girl, we warned you that something like this may happen, but neither of you would listen to us", he shook his head sadly, his wrinkled face solemn, "Now the Lord is dead at the beast's hand"._

_Ryuuya looked down at his blood covered, trembling hands. Where these men really saying what he thought?_

_Had he…_

"_Shut up", his Mother's voice held all the warmth of an iceberg._

"_You cannot change what has happened Aoyama. Lord Sagura is dead, and it was his own heir who killed him", that proclamation was like a stake to the heart for the dark haired boy._

"_Mother…", he looked up at the raven haired woman, feeling the weight of the council men's gaze when she wouldn't meet his eyes._

_The blood on his hands suddenly felt warm, as if he could still remember doing what he was being accused of._

_From the darkness, a pair of glowing red eyes seemed to laugh at the carnage they had caused._

_A terrible cry welled up in his throat._

"_FATHER!"---_

Ryuuya felt tears tracing paths amongst the raindrops on his face as he stared up at the cloud-covered sky.

He had been charged with the murder of Koichi Sagura, and would have been put to death if not for his Mother's interference.

As head of both the _Gods Cry_ school, and custodian of the _Oni's Bane_ school, she had used her influence to spare him from the sentence, laying out a plan of intense training that would enable him to control the demon and entrusting him with the _Hina_ in order to both aid his struggle and to act as tangible reassurance for the council men.

He had promised after that moment that he would never again let the creature inside him make him hurt anyone ever again.

Only he had failed. He couldn't remember everything exactly, but as had happened the first time he had lost control, things were coming back to him in dreamlike flashes.

He still had only a fractured account of the events that had lead to his father's death, remembering brief moments of the fight that must have ensued between Koichi and the thing in control of his body, and seeing how his Father had held back to the point it had ultimately killed him, but nothing of _why_ the demon had possessed him after waiting inside his body for so long.

This time was different however.

He could recall attacking Kanna, something that still made him cringe as he felt his hand closing around her throat, fighting against the imprisonment of his will as his body plotted to kill her.

Who knows what might have happened if Kyosuke hadn't intervened. Something that had almost cost them both their lives.

Why had he attacked Kanna in the first place?

The answer was abundantly clear, and almost painful in its irony.

The demon was after the same thing he had spent so many years seeking, it wanted the _Sword of Two Souls_.

_Was it ever even I who wanted it_, Ryu questioned himself. How could he be sure that his drive and motive for finding the ancient weapon had ever been a product of his own violation? There was no way to tell if the creature had been influencing his thoughts, as events seemed to suggest.

Or was it all coincidence?

**_Poor little human, so lost and confused_**, a voice in his head sneered, all of his muscles seeming to lock painfully for an instant before relaxing.

For a moment he didn't reply. The demon had never communicated with him directly; it had at best been a presence in the back of his mind, dark and twisted.

_**Something wrong Host? None of that icy wit I have so enjoyed watching you employ? Nothing from that oh so keen intellect?**_

_What do you want?_, Ryu mentally hissed.

**_I believe you already figured that out child_**, Ryu felt his muscles cramping again, **_And I was so very close as well… a pity, but I'm patient. I'll have control again soon_**

_I think not_, Ryu strained, searching with one hand until it located the black sheathed weapon propped up at his side, the cramps and stiffness vanishing as soon as his fingers closed around the blade.

He smiled as a deep growl echoed inside his skull, _As long as I have this, you're staying where you are. You won't hurt anyone ever again._

**_That bound weakling can only delay the inevitable boy. I'll be free again soon enough, and this time there will be no one to save the girl_**, images of what the demon planned to do to her flashed through Ryu's mind, bringing the usually stoic young man close to vomiting with revulsion even as he trembled with rage.

_You won't touch her, or any of them_

**_Oh, but I will, first her…then the little blue haired one I think_**, a hollow laugh threatened to tear his mind to shreds, **_That's it my boy, get angry, bring me closer to what I desire_**.

_Why do you want my Father's sword so badly?_, Ryu asked.

**_You mean, why did I have you seek it out?_**, another malignant chuckle, **_I could torture you with your insecurity, but the truth is so much more fun. It was not I that sort the blade, I was still dormant after my first attempt to emerge. No child, you started your search all by yourself, desperately seeking clues as to the whereabouts of the very thing your Father gave his life to keep me from._**

Ryu felt polaxed, _No, that's not true_

**_Oh but it is. All this time rushing to and fro, making pledges to yourself. It was all most amusing. To think all I had to do was offer a little prod in the right direction, and you would carry me of your own accord to your own demise, thinking that your goal would allow you to atone for your sins… Did you truly believe that just mastering that useless piece of scrap metal would erase all the loathing and contempt? That it would make you a better and more worthy heir?_**, mocking laughter drilled into Ryu, sapping his anger and resistance.

His entire reason for living for the past seven years, his plan to find his Father's blade and return it to his Mother after it had been hidden by the council having mastered its powers thus proving himself worthy of his position in the eyes of his Clan.

All of it had been for nothing, and had he succeeded, he would have played right into the hands of the monster that murdered his Father and turned his Clan against him since the moment he was born.

**_Your anguish is so exquisite_**, the creature taunted, **_You have failed at everything, just like the rest of your miserable race. Why not just let go? Perhaps I will even spare the females after I have what I want._**

Maybe he should.

What was there to live for now that he had lost his only hope for absolving himself in the eyes of the elders, and the only way he could ever ask for his Mother's forgiveness now that the last reminder of his Father left to her was now untouchable for him.

_**Just let go…it is the only way**_

"Just…let…go…".

"Ryu-ni-chan!", he glanced around groggily, the world blurred as if he had just awoken from a deep slumber, unable to understand why his head suddenly felt so heavy as he lifted it in search of the source of the voice.

He blinked a few times to see if the image before him would vanish, but Satomi and Kyosuke stayed where they were, the latter with his arm draped over the shoulders of the former as if she were the only thing propping him up.

"Satomi…Kyosuke? Why are you here", he asked, not able to summon the energy to sit up properly to face them, his eyelids suddenly feeling very heavy.

"Still alive I see, and still in control", Kyosuke actually sounded disappointed.

Ryu just stared at him until his sneer faded into a scowl.

"For what it's worth", Ryu whispered, feeling an inviting tug at the back of his mind.

"Ryu-ni-chan… come on, I can help if you need it, Onee-chan is worried about you, we all are", Kyosuke snorted, glaring when Ryu didn't answer her, just allowed his head to loll back toward his lap.

"Giving up already cousin?", Kyosuke demanded, sounding somehow angrier than usual, shrugging Satomi aside and walking up to Ryu, planting his hands on his shoulders, shaking him violently until he looked him in the eyes.

"I'm talking to you Ryu-teme! Don't ignore me", his jaw tightened when Ryu still didn't respond.

Pushing away from him in disgust he stood awkwardly, his hand protecting his stomach.

"Not even a scratch huh? Must be nice to have everything going for you without having to do anything", still nothing from Ryu, although Satomi was tugging on his arm anxiously, "Answer me!".

"What do you want me to say Kyosuke?", Ryu's voice was quite but powerful, "That I'm everything you and all the others like you hate me for being? That I shouldn't even exist, that everything everyone ever did for me was worthless, just like the affections those few tried to show a monster?".

Ryu barked a hollow laugh, the rain stinging his eyes as he threw back his head.

"You're right…all of you were right all along…so either kill me now or f the hell off Kyosuke", in any other circumstance, he might have smiled at the slack jawed expression his fiery tempered cousin was sporting, but what little joy he felt was swallowed by the yawning hole that seemed to be threatening to swallow him whole, and the disenchanted look Satomi turned upon him.

He was a failure already, so what did breaking one more personal delusion matter now.

"…I hate you Ryu, I always have, but at least you never treated me with the same dismissal as the others did. Even those who hated you more than I payed you more attention than I ever got for all my hard work… I respected you for that even if I couldn't like you, same for your determination…", Kyosuke turned his back on his former rival, limping back over to Satomi and collapsing his weight against her once more, "Stay here an die for all I care Ryuuya, it will be a sad end to one side of our family. Come on Satomi, we're leaving".

"Leaving? But I promised Onee-chan-"

"I said we'd find him", Kyosuke silenced her, "I said nothing about bringing him back".

Satomi looked pleadingly at Ryu.

"Go", he breathed, allowing himself to sink back into his mind.

Satomi looked at him sadly before adjusting Kyosuke's weight on her shoulders assisting him as he limped away.

"Ryu", Kyosuke drew to a halt, addressing his cousin over one shoulder, "In case you care, one of the girls has gone missing, the guardian. I trust you'll stay away from her…".

"Goodbye Kyosuke".

There was a slight pop of displaced air and Satomi and Kyosuke blurred from existence.

Once more there was nothing but the steady march of the rain into interrupt the stillness of the small park he found himself in.

_So this is how it all ends huh?_, he thought bitterly, _My 'glorious' quest of redemption turns out to be nothing more that a outright failure that almost costs me another person close to me, and leaves me a ticking time-bomb with nowhere to go… heh, sounds like a plot from one of Kei's stories._

Ryuuya felt something warm running down his face, catching one of his tears on his fingertip and watching as it vanished in the rain.

So Kanna was missing? He knew he should care, maybe he did but he was too numb from the cold and the rain to realise.

It didn't matter; there was nothing he could do to help out, and every reason to stay away.

Ryu felt his eyes drifting closed once more.

Kyosuke and the councilmen were right. It would be better if he had never existed.

The rain suddenly seemed to stop, sounding distant as if something were blocking it.

"I thought I might find you in a place like this sempai"

Ryu opened his eyes, startled to find Ayu standing over him with an umbrella, her thick coat wrapped around her small frame securely, and a sad smile on her pretty face.

"You shouldn't sit out in the rain like this", she chided him gently, "You'll catch a cold".

"Ayu…", how had she found him? Kyosuke and Satomi he could understand, all they had to do was follow the remains of the demon's Ki, a beacon to those sensitive, but Ayu…

"How did you…"

"Your not from a city sempai, so I thought you'd go somewhere with lots of trees, somewhere you liked. I remembered you took me to the park on our date, and seemed most relaxed there, so this seemed like the best place…", he paused for a moment, taking a second look at his eyes, "Grey…just like the colour of the sea on a cold day… I always thought forest spirits were supposed to be happy creatures sempai".

"Forest Spirit?", he asked confused.

"You know", Ayu said, taking a seat next to him and holding the umbrella over the both of them, looking out over the park, "I never did get a chance to thank that boy. He was always playing with Kanna-chan, talking to Kanna-chan, even in the brief time we knew him".

Ryu saw a flash of something, another woodland area far from here. Two girls, one with dark hair streaked with lighter highlights, small fists on hips, and behind her… a timid girl with short blue hair and a shy smile.

Two nameless strangers who had played with a lonely boy without knowing who he was and made him feel a little less unwanted.

"I wasn't sure until I saw your eyes sempai, you changed yourself a lot…", she glanced at him sideways.

It was true. He had enlisted the help of the famous 'Mistress of Disguise' a woman his father had convinced to work for the Sagura family as a private tutor. The 'Dark Angel' as she was known in some circles, Kanako Urashima, had been more than willing to help him when he had explained the reasons behind his plan, that he wanted to change someone's rigid opinion of him, though he didn't know why.

Dye for his hair and contact lenses for his unusual eye colour had rendered him unrecognisable to even his family as long as they didn't get too close, and he had left in the middle of the night after donning his disguise to avoid complications.

Looking back on it, it was staggering the amount of work he had put into this charade: changing his appearance, his name, arranging with the help of some of Kanako's contacts to have his records 'officially' entered so that they might be submitted for a student transfer, locating the Hinata Sou and gaining residency…all of it for a defunct, half-baked idea.

"I saw Kyosuke-kun and Satomi-chan… have they told you? About Kanna?", she asked when there was a lull in their conversation if you could really grace it with that title.

"…Yes", he responded, avoiding her gaze.

"Are you going to look for her when we go back?", she asked, the hope in her voice twisting his stomach unpleasantly.

"I'm not going back Ayu"

"Sempai? You have to, Kanna-chan is missing, and I-we all need you", she tried to get him to look at her, but his eyes were fixed on the floor.

"I can't help anyone, not even myself… it was all a lie, I thought I was coming here to help, to stop…everything! But all I did was come close to repeating a great tragedy", his eyes stung, "All I do is hurt people. My parents must curse my very birth…".

Complete silence descended upon the pair, weighted down by the mood that had surfaced and the finality of Ryu's last statement.

"…I used to think like that as well", Ayu said in a small voice, "I complicated a lot of things for my mothers when I was born".

"Mother_s_?", he asked, thinking she had just made a mistake.

"Yes, my mother has a…unique relationship. That caused a lot of problems for her partner already amongst her family… your family", she looked down at where she was playing with the bottom of her coat when he glanced up at her.

"My family?"

"Yes, I don't know any other that has the same dark hair and grey eyes, she must be a part of your Family, a Sagura, though she doesn't talk about it with me much… I used to think it was because she hated me for how I complicated her and Mother's already difficult lives, but she told me she could never hate anything that came from the woman she loved, especially not me", Ayu smiled wanly, remembering the joy she had felt on the day she had been told that after years of fearing what the dark haired woman must think of her, the by-product of one night of infidelity on her mother's behalf with a man she had loved for a long time before she met Kyoko.

Ryu was suddenly struck by a sense of familiarity, like he knew who she was talking about… when it hit him.

"Ayu, what is your family name?", he asked.

"Maehara", she answered, looking at him curiously as he began to laugh, "What? Sempai! It's not nice to laugh at someone like that".

"I'm sorry Ayu", he said when the last of the bittersweet mirth had faded, "I just figured out who you remind me of. Aunt Kyoko's lover, the one who vanished with her after it was discovered she was pregnant. That would have been your mother correct? Shinobu Maehara".

It figured, he'd been living under the same roof obliviously the whole time with the heirs to the Urashima and Maehara line respectively without knowing it.

Ayu nodded.

"So you know what everybody thought of her…and me. But it never effected what Mother or Kyoko-sama thought about me… Just like nothing you've been made to do will change what we think of you. It doesn't matter if you lo…like someone…", she blushed lightly, hiding her face behind the collar of her coat.

He didn't respond.

"Won't you come back sempai… if not for us, then for…for Kanna-chan?", he might have flinched for a moment, she wasn't sure.

"We all want her to be safe, just like we want you to be sempai… We love her…do…", Ayu took a deep breath, but she was shaking as she pictured all of his possible answers to her next question, "do you love Kanna, sempai?".

His voice was so quiet she almost couldn't hear it over the pounding of the rain.

"…I don't know".

Ayu felt her heart squeeze a little. He may not have said anything outright, or rejected her, but there was enough indecision in his voice, even after he had kissed her just a few days ago, for his hesitation to hurt.

_RYU!_

Ryuuya jerked in his seat as the image of Kanna, surrounded by three thugs flashed through his mind.

Perhaps it was just exhaustion working his mind, making him see things, but if that were true, where had that alien dose of fear come from.

"Sempai?", Ayu's voice was concerned, "Sempai, what's wrong?".

"Kanna", he breathed, not seeing the stricken look on Ayu's face as a final image crossed his consciousness. The oily, smirking face of Toshima Takahashi.

"I know where she is", he muttered, unable to shake this strange feeling that Kanna lay in a certain direction. Replaying the image, he could just make out the details of somewhere abandoned and old looking, the floor bare concrete as Kanna huddled in one corner, the _Sword of Two Souls_ clutched to her chest as one of the street toughs reached for her.

The presence of the Sword brought up doubt.

Should he go after her?

The demon urged him to go, and that was reason enough for him to stay… but the stark terror he had somehow felt from her…

"I have to go", he took off, snatching up the sword at his side and running out into the rain.

"Sempai!", she called after him, standing in her haste but he didn't seem to hear her, just kept running.

She hung her head, tears already building.

Ryu had run away after Kanna yet again, leaving her behind. Perhaps some things would never change.

Ayu gasped when she suddenly found herself enveloped in a gentle hug, tilting her disbelieving head back until she could see Ryu's eyes peering down at her.

"Sempai?", she asked nervously when his face began to descend toward her own, her eyes fluttering closed of their own accord once more.

They opened again when Ryu's lips met not with her own, but with the centre of her forehead, still drawing a small blush from her as he drew back with that small smile, the one that now she thought about it, reminded her a lot of Kyoko's, tiny but utterly sincere.

"Thank you for what you tried to do Ayu", he whispered, still holding her, "I don't know if you're right yet, but it gives me some hope".

"Sempai…", she gathered the singed material of his shirt between her fingers, dropping the umbrella and moving as close to him as she could.

"Go back to the others, I'll bring Kanna back", he promised, carefully disengaging and moving away from her, "Wait for us".

With a curt nod, he took off once more, sprinting away before vanishing in a blur just like Kyosuke and Satomi.

Even as the rain began to drench her, plastering her hair to her pale face, Ayu smiled.

Ryu wasn't going to give up, despite everything he was going to keep going, and if he could, then so would she.

Just because Ryu and Kanna were always running ahead of her, didn't mean she had to stay behind.

"Gamberu Ayu-chan", she whispered to herself, picking up her umbrella and starting back to the Hinata Sou at a light jog, swiftly picking up speed, "Gamberu"

Ryu, Kanna…everyone was waiting for her.

Everything would be all right; it was time to go home.

* * *

Toshima examined the sword Kanna had been carrying with interest.

It was a fairly unique if not particularly flashy design. It had a nice weight, good balance even in the scabbard, but for some reason it couldn't be drawn.

Not even the strongest of his 'associates' could pull the weapon free, thus he had concluded that the blade must have rusted so badly it had sealed itself shut.

However, if this were the case, then why had the girl put up such a fight to protect it?

A family heirloom of museum piece perhaps? If that were the case then he could always find a collector willing to buy it for a high price.

It appeared he would get even more out of this evening that some admittedly satisfying revenge.

It had taken some time to locate a suitable spot to house the girl, in this case a abandoned storage building on the far side of town, but once the final arrangements were made, he would send a messenger to the Hinata Sou, the rumoured residence of the young Miss Urashima and her companion.

"All set here boss", Hero announced, crackling his mammoth knuckles eagerly, "You want us to go send out the invitations?".

Toshima chuckled at the brute's enthusiasm, but it was commendable seen as what had happened last time they had faced off against this stranger.

A glint of something, light reflecting off steel amongst the rafters caught his eye and his smile faded.

"I don't believe it will be necessary".

"Boss?"

"Why don't you come down Kisame-san, I know you're up there", there was an amused snort and a strange whistle of displaced air and suddenly their target was standing in the centre of the room, a wicked blade of sharp, blackened steel held loosely before him.

Toshima coughed to cover his surprise while Hero and the other two gawped openly.

"A most impressive trick Kisame-san", Toshima drawled casually as if bored, "I'm not sure how you got here so quickly, perhaps you really are the girl's bodyguard, how fascinating. I assume this change of appearance has something to do with your work?".

He tapped the pommel of the _Sword of Two Souls_ against his chin thoughtfully, "You really must-"

"Where is Kanna?", his voice was emotionless, a chilling thing to hear, and only reinforced by the cold steel that was his eyes.

"Kisame-san don't you know it's rude to make demands on your host? I have a wonderful evening planned for us all, but first, a little warm up show", Toshima snapped his fingers, a dozen doors around the room opening to admit a variety of unsavoury characters of varying sizes. Each of them carrying both a criminal air and a weapon to match their deviant grins.

"Kill", he commanded, like offering an order to a pack of dogs, laying a restraining hand on Hero's massive bicep when he moved to engage with the rest of them, shaking his head and nodding back towards the smaller room at the back of the facility.

The thug nodded, grinning as he ducked out of sight, leaving Toshima to enjoy his entertainment along with his other two top enforcers and bodyguards.

Ryu's eye narrowed as the first of them reached him, swinging a baseball bat overhead with wild abandon.

"I don't have time for this…_Serpent's Strike!_", a wave of snake like spiritual energy tore from the tip of his blade as he bisected the air, taking his opponent and his confident smirk with it and blasting a hole in the wall to his left.

There was a pause, a halt in the charge.

Now if even one of them had any brains…

"Get him!", apparently not.

Not having time to use another technique, Ryu ducked the golf club that scythed around at where his head had been, lashing out behind him with his leg in a mule kick that crack two of his opponent's ribs and catapulted him into several others.

A quick pivot and a sharp tap with the flat of his blade across the back of the neck dropped another, while a third had his weapon sliced cleanly in two a Ryu somersaulted over him before placing a boot firmly to the base of his spine.

Ryu blocked hastily, parrying a new attacker so that he stumbled across the path of another, leaping over the confused heap that resulted to gain relief from the pair attempting to flank him from behind and almost rushing onto the knife of yet another thug.

Grabbing the flat of his blade near the tip and inverting the sword, Ryu was able to knock the knife aside, snapping his arms horizontal once more and stepping round in a pivoting arc that ended as his elbow connected with the base of the knife wielder's skull.

He staggered as one of them managed to sock him while he was still dizzy, blurring out of existence and reappearing as another swiped at him with what appeared to be an old meat hook, but not before they scored a deep gouge across his ribs.

**_You're wasting energy Host, you should just kill them all and be done with it_**.

_I'm not a killer, I won't murder anyone else_

There was a snort of derision as he parried a blow to his legs and one to his head, angling the weapon of his assailant up so that he could smash the pommel of his sword down on the bridge of his nose, kicking hi backward as blood sprayed everywhere.

_**Human's and their delusions, how utterly wretched…but still, you can only do this for so long before you tire yourself child, and when that happens…**_

Ryu shoved the voice to the back of his head, his next turn bringing him face to face with where Toshima stood just as the door behind him swung open…

"Ryu!", Kanna shouted as she recognised who it was fighting Toshima's men.

Ryu had actually come back for her, somehow tracking her down even after these men had taken her.

But was it Ryu?

Catching his eye she saw only grey, not a trace of red, and though his hair was black now, there was not a trace of silver.

So it really was him, and despite everything Kyosuke had said, he had still cared enough to want to save her.

Her eyes lighted on what Toshima was holding and her heart fell.

The sword. Toshima had that as well, so the question was, which of them had he really come here for.

Ryu took a step forward as he saw Kanna's smile vanish as she seem to slump a little in the grasp of Toshima's thug.

"Kanna…", he let out a gasp as something stuck him across the back of the head hard, a heavily booted foot, slamming down on his sword hand with near bone shattering force, kicking the blade across the room toward Toshima as soon as he released it involuntarily.

"Careless, taking your eyes off your opponent", Toshima bragged as Ryu was surrounded, a number of painful kicks and punches keeping him down, "Still, you put up a brave struggle, but now is the time to collect the spoils of war".

Through half lidded eyes, Ryu watched as Toshima stooped, his hand closing around the hilt of the _Hina_.

The cursed weapon pulsed darkly.

"Toshima don't!", to late Ryu cried out as the gang lord closed his hand around the hilt of the sword.

For a moment he seemed to freeze in place as the dark aura of the _Hina_ vanished, and then, slowly, gratingly, he stood and turned a glowing red gaze on Ryu.

The creature inhabiting Toshima's body now, smirked with his lips, a smiled that bordered dangerously on the insane before adjusting its new hosts glasses so that the glare of the lights overhead hid its eyes.

"_Step away frrrrrom the girrrrrl_", it commanded, Toshima's enforcers looking between each other uncertainly, neither of them having missed the strange new set to their boss' voice.

"Boss? Aren't we supposed to keep her from getting away. You said not to let go of her no matter-"

"_Release herrrrr beforrrrre I cut you down wherrrrre you stand"_, it hissed dangerously, raising the _Hina_ for emphasis.

"Sure thing boss", they both agreed nervously, backing away, the tense atmosphere even bringing Ryu's attackers to a halt as they watched what they thought was Toshima advance on Kanna anxiously.

Ryu tried to stand only to find a swift blow to the ribs dropping him as soon as he tried.

"_This won't hurrrrt forrrr long little one_", it sniggered as Kanna tried to back away only to find herself frozen with fear.

It drew back the blade.

"Kanna!", time seemed to slow, each and every person moving bare millimetres a second at most.

Ryu attempted to stand, not knowing what was happening but grateful for it.

Pain racked his muscles, turning them to jelly and dropping him face first on the dusty, crack ridden concrete.

_**My, my, isn't this a dilemma child. It appears your 'insurance' is working against you, and free of his seal also. What will you do?**_

_Let me go!_, Ryu shouted in his mind, receiving only chiding noises in return.

**_You are in no position to make demands boy, so I suggest you listen to my humble opinion on our next course of action_**, its voice was thick with sarcasm, but Ryu forced himself to clench his jaw to prevent saying anything regrettable.

_Fine, go ahead_

_**You're too kind. The one serving as host to that lesser trash, he still holds the Sword. You need a weapon with which to seal him…**_

Ryu snorted, _You basically just want me to retrieve the _Sword of Two Souls_ for you. I refuse to do anything that aids my Father's killer._

_**Very noble young human, but can you do that if it costs the female her life?**_

Ryu looked up, the crawling passage of time making each and every change, every echo of terror on Kanna's face his to cherish in exquisite detail for all of eternity.

_**You can't can you?…You can either follow my advice, or…you can watch her die, each second passing like hours until your mind breaks and I take what I want anyway…now choose.**_

Ryu watched as the dark steel began its downward arc, Kanna's mouth opening in a scream he couldn't hear.

…_I'll do it_.

**_A wise decision_**.

Strength returned to Ryu's muscles and he found himself blink across the distance, time returning to normal as his hand closed around the hilt of the _Sword of Two Souls_.

Tearing it free, Ryu felt an odd pulsing sensation well up inside of him, a warm like he had never know, but one tinged with a icy malignance he needed no help to identify.

He would have to move fast.

"_What is-"_, was all the creature had time to say before Ryu's foot launched it backward, several of Toshima's men crying out in alarm.

Ryu reached for this new strength unheeding, drawing as much as he could and lashing out at the thing in Toshima's body, fuelled by a righteous anger at what it had been planning to do to Kanna.

"_Cutting Evil: Second Form!_", there was a horrid cry of demonic anger and frustration as the creature inside Toshima was tore from its new home and sent screaming back into the _Hina_.

The gang lord collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, his men surrounding him anxiously while Ryu doubled over as if he might vomit at any moment.

"Ryu", Kanna helped support him as it looked like him might slump to the ground, "Ryu, are you alright?".

A low chuckle filled the air, bone chilling and definitely not human.

"Ryu…", Kanna felt fear welling up inside her. She had heard that laugh quite recently.

"**_I'm afraid your Mate is no longer present child_**", Kanna gapped as she was shoved backward, the thing puppeting Ryu once more smiling as it held the _Sword of Two Souls_ up for closer inspection.

The ancient weapon seemed to pulse, a mix of warm inviting light, and a deeper ruby swirl that hid at the edges of vision, taunting the eye as it seemed to twist the space around it.

"**_At last"_**, the demon hissed as if sampling food of a sublime taste, "**_This has dragged on far too long. I will be complete again very soon_**".

Thrusting the blade aloft the air seemed to ripple, hurling Kanna and the remaining gang members aside dismissively as the dull light blazed like a beacon.

"**_Come to me…_**", as Ryu's eyes slowly turned crimson once again, the air writhed and bend like a thing alive, tossing Kanna into a wall just as she regained her feet.

Kanna struck the floor with a yelp, struggling to keep her eyes open as the howling winds that had suddenly appeared tried to press her back against the wall.

All across the room, thugs and reprobates crawled limped or dragged themselves toward the doors as forks of lightning began to strike out from the blade, leaving charred craters wherever they landed.

She watched as Toshima's three lieutenants struggled through the buffeting gale toward the unconscious form of their leader, grabbing him by the ankles and between them, wrestling him free of the miniature tornadoes that tore through the room amongst the lightning.

At the front of the room, Ryu stood amidst the chaos as if it didn't exist, his crimson gaze locked firmly on the blinding weapon above his head, his expression almost blissful.

"Ryu!", she screamed, her voice lost to the winds, falling flat before it could reach even her own ears. With such intensity, she found herself forced to cling to whatever she could find to stop herself being swept away, her hair failing like a mad thing and blinding her view of Ryu more often than not.

The rafters above him yawned dangerously, one collapsing, scattering Toshima's retreating men as they hugged the walls and pitching them into the air as violent winds caught their hulking bodies like rag-dolls in the hands of an ill tempered child.

She peered at her would be rescuer through eyes that were almost squeezed shut.

That last move had proved to her his real reason for coming here, and it had nothing to do with the sword he now held.

The entire building seemed to groan, as if protesting all of the sudden activity, threatening its occupants with action unless they cease.

Kanna glanced at the ceiling nervously and then back to Ryu.

If he wasn't stopped, then the whole building would collapse around him, burying them both.

Kanna shook her head as part of her urged her to crawl to the door and escape.

Ryu had come to save her, so now she would return the favour.

Bracing herself as best she could, Kanna pushed away from the wall.

* * *

As soon as he had unleashed that last attack, Ryu had known it was over.

Using such a powerful technique before he had finished healing had drained the last of his resistance, leaving him mental and physically exhausted in a way mere adrenaline couldn't hope to cure.

Almost the moment he had released his power, he had felt it like a blow to the cut. An icy presence that stole his breath and left his very soul trembling.

The creature had surged into his mind, battering aside his pitiful defences and invading his body with ease.

Now it had the sword, and he could do nothing about it.

He had watched as it hurled Kanna and the others aside with a mere thought, before summoning this raging storm with the power held dormant within the blade.

Strangely, even as he watched Kanna, battered and bruised, call out to him, or saw yet another of Toshima's men casually or even accidentally struck down by the abomination of nature's whimsy, all he felt was a kind of serene detachment, as if it didn't, or very soon wouldn't, matter at all.

_This must be what it feels like to die_, he thought, still unable to feel anything but regret at all the things he had failed to do.

He had failed keep the demon inside him that night all those years ago, he had led it to the very thing it sort of his own violation after failing to contain it once more despite years of training he had thought were supposed to help.

He had failed to get away from everyone after he had decided they were better off without him, and he had failed to bring Kanna back as he had promised Ayu he would… now it appeared not only would she die, for he could see the telltale signs of stress as the building became weaker, closer to collapse, but he wouldn't even bring himself back.

The demon would not be denied again…

…Then, something very strange happened.

As Ryu contemplated his demise with a kind of melancholy irony, he felt it, the presence of the thing inside his mind, but not as he had ever before.

Whenever it had taken him over before, he had been put into a state of unconsciousness until it had been beaten back or exhausted itself, but for some reason, this time, he had been left awake.

Maybe the demon wished to torture him with this moment before destroying him, or maybe whatever it was doing required him to be cognisant for some reason, but whatever it was there was an unexpected by-product.

He could see everything the demon had ever seen, vast millennia of life that defied human experience, people, things and places long dead, and realms that could not be comprehended by the human mind.

He saw the creature's most prominent memories. The day it had come across a human man, begging it to lend him its strength so that he could better protect his family.

Intrigued that the human knew both that it could do such a thing and its name, it had agreed on a whim.

Yazuroph… that was its name, an ancient Oni, that had been tricked by its servant and betrayed. Sealed in a tomb by the Sagura family, the retaining family of the time to the early Aoyama's before the incident had ended their service and started their own quest for glory.

A search that had ended when the man he recognised as his grandfather had released the demon to destroy the heir to the Aoyama line… and been killed himself by the canorous creature.  
The same beast had then found himself confronted by two of the most powerful Special Arts Blademasters in recent history. His Mother and Father, Motoko Aoyama of the _Gods Cry _school and Koichi Sagura of the _Oni's Bane_ school.

So his parents had fought the creature before he realised, almost not recognising them, they looked so young.

His Father had used an attack of such awesome power that the demon had been overwhelmed, and worse to the prideful creature, it had had been unable to recognise the potential threat beforehand.

Wielding the power of _Enishi_ Koichi had totally obliterated Yazuroph's physical form, but as the tidal wave of Ki had threatened to decimate his soul, the demon had fled along the astral plane, the realm from which _Enishi_ operated.

Seeking a hiding place, it had discovered that the Red String acted as a spiritual conduit it could use to enter the body of one of those it was linked to.

Feeling that Motoko was the best choice, possessing the greatest power, it had fled into her body using the very thing intended to destroy it.

However, it had miscalculated.

True Motoko's strength might have originated from him via her ancestors, but it had been moulded and shaped by years of intense training, acting as a natural barrier to his intrusions.

He may have been safe, but he was also trapped.

He had also realised something else. In using _Enishi_ as a pathway, he had bound a part of his own soul to it to make it compatible, and when Koichi had burned out the _Sword of Two Souls_, with his final attack the link to the Red String had been served, trapping a part of himself within the blade.

Even if he had been able to take control of Motoko, his possession would have failed without the sword to reunite himself.

He had been beaten after all it had seemed, he was trapped within one of the line that had turned against him by those that had sealed him… but then fate had dealt him the perfect weapon to strike back against his tormentors.

The girl had become pregnant, and her child's soul was two new, his dormant power unshaped, he had been the perfect host.

Of course he was immature, so Yazuroph had slept inside him until the boy grew old enough to carry out his will.

The time had come and he had taken control only to find his desires once more bared by the upstart Sagura Heir.

He had feared he would be beaten, but Koichi had been unable to strike down his own son, even as the possessed child had savaged his body with deadly claws of malignant Ki.

_Father…_, Ryu watched through the demon's eyes as the part of that night he had missed was played out before him. Koichi had called out to him, smiled at him reassuringly and promised that he would be alright, that he believed in him.

By the time he had finally killed him, the demon had been too tired to maintain his possession and Ryu had awoken.

So that was what all this was about. The demon just wanted to be free, free to avenge itself on his captors. It had never had anything to do with him at all. All these years, all this guilt, the isolation, the hatred… and ultimately it was all due to coincidence, a plan gone wrong on the creatures behalf.

Ryu would have laughed had he been able.

Wasn't that just the perfect end to a perfect life… now all he had left was death…

"_Sempai!"_

Ayu's voice seemed to shatter the void closing in around him, her violet gaze pleading him to fight back from inside the light that had suddenly replaced the darkness, pulsing, throbbing, and filling him with life and power.

_What is going on?_, he thought, glancing down at his naked ethereal form, noticing the thing red string that was tied to his little finger, trailing off into the light.

"_Don't give up! Fight Sempai! You promised you'd come back, remember?"_

…_I… …did, didn't I…but is it worth it? I can't win…_, he hung his head in shame, _I'm sorry…_

"_Yes, you can. If you really were the failure you seem to think you are, then none of us would love you"_

_Love?_

"_Yes, me, Mizuki, Yui, Satomi, Chii, Natsuki…Kanna"_, an image of the dark haired girl crying out as the wind forced her to the floor, debris raining down around her, crossed his vision, _"Won't you fight for us Sempai? For her…and me?"._

_What if I can't win? Someone will get hurt again…I can't allow that._

"_People get hurt all the time Sempai", _her voice was kind, soothing like the light_, "You can't help that, bad things happen, but if you stop now, you'll never know why the good things are worth fighting for…will you try?"_.

Ryu's head was bowed as he spoke, _I don't want anyone else to die…_

"_So what will you do?"_, Ayu's voice asked.

Ryu's head rose slowly, his gaze hard and determined_, I'm going to keep my promise to you_.

* * *

Kanna crawled across the floor on her belly, refusing to look up, her eyes almost closed as she inched closer and closer to Ryu, unaware of the things she muttered to herself as she held her fear at bay.

She had always been the strongest of the girls, or at least, she liked to believe that. Nothing ever stopped her for long no matter her goal, it was something she got from both her parents, a tenacious relentlessness.

Right now, her elbows grazed and bloody, the building wailing as it was stressed beyond its ability to cope, she was closer to giving up than she had ever come.

Risking a glance upward, she saw Ryu, still locked and immobile as he had previously been at the eye of the storm.

Almost there…

Suddenly Ryu jerked as if hit by lightning, his spine ramrod stiff, and his glowing eyes wide, his mouth stretched out in an unheard scream.

The sword above his head blazed brighter, forcing Kanna to shield her eyes for a moment.

When she could see again there was a thin red cord writhing around the blade, whipping at Ryu mercilessly as he snarled and swiped at it with his free hand.

_What in the world?_

Ryu and the string clashed, a thunderclap of light was released, washing away sight for a second time.

A section of the ceiling, already weak, gave in under this new assault, coming to a crashing halt bare meters from where the dark haired girl lay, Kanna curling into a ball instinctively to protect herself.

"I can't do this!", she shouted when her muscles refused to move, crying as she hugged herself, "I don't understand any of this and…and I'm scared! I just want everything to go back to how it was…please, somebody, anyone, just…make it all stop".

"I'm not going to give up so easily!"

Ryu's voice brought her head up. His eyes were still locked on the blade, and above the hollowing winds she knew she shouldn't have been able to hear him, and yet she was sure she had.

"Ryu…", her vision was streaked by tears.

"**_You…think this…can defeat me boy?_**", Yazuroph snarled back through the same mouth, "**_Your Father may have taken me by surprise once, but it will not happen again, and not at the hands of a failure!_**"

Ryu looked at Kanna, one eye a fierce red, the other a soothing sea grey, the red string that had been attacking him whirling around his body like the ribbon of a dancer.

"I am a failure, I acknowledge this…but I have decided that if I can protect just one person important to me…", Kanna felt her face warm, "Then I can die without regrets…expect no mercy".

The string seemed to pulse dangerously; the speed of its rotation increasing at the winds grew even stronger, the very sword itself singing a haunting melody of sadness and pain.

Ryu smiled sadly as his eyes began to close.

"Such an appropriate song. I always did love music…goodbye Kanna, tell Ayu I tried, just like I promised".

He didn't even flinch as the first of the cuts appeared on his body, a jagged gash high across one cheek that leaked slowly like crimson tears, soon followed by other, less harmless looking wounds on his arms, legs and torso.

In his mind's eye, Ryu saw Ayu weeping as he drew deeper on the power of _Enishi_, the Red String of Fate that bound them, that gave him a new hope even as he prepared to end it all.

His innards felt like they were being shredded worse than his outside as he battered back Yazuroph's control with his newfound strength.

**_What are you planning fool!_, **the demon spat, reduced to communicating through his mind once more even as it resolutely dug in its metaphorical claws, clinging to existence, **_You will kill us both!_**

Ryu's ghostly form smiled back at the glowing eyes in the darkness from inside the light as a fresh wave of agony staggered them both

_I know, but as long as it gets rid of you, I don't care_, he answered, his voice almost dreamlike.

**_Stupid boy! One such as I can never be stopped, not by the little power you have, all that will happen is this vessel will die, I will still achieve completion_**.

_But you will never again be able to reach the physical plane will you? With the Sword gone, no one will wield Enishi after me, so you may never come back_, the demon as silent, its terrible rage boiling across the distance.

Yazuroph lashed out, trying to strike him down, only to find his attacks blocked by the same red string that harried him on the physical plane.

_I should never have been born…Let's die together_, Ryu gather all the light to himself, feeling the unbelievable pain of feeling spiritual body being blistered from the inside out.

Crimson eyes rolled as inhuman eyes pierce the darkness.

Shadows seemed to lunge toward the light, tendils of darkness wrapping around _Enishi_ as it struck out at them…locking it in place and stopping its deadly dance.

_What have you done!_, Ryu demanded as the sensation fled, _Enishi's_ power seeming suddenly muted.

_**Hehehe… Did you really think it would be that easy? Make a choice and I fall... Stalemate Host. You have failed once more.**_

* * *

"…Goodbye Kanna", the dark haired girl felt a lump forming in her throat as he said those words, his eyes drifting closed as if they would never open again.

"Ryu", the light around him intensified as his wounds grew, inflicted once more by the thing that she had thought was saving him.

"Stop it!", she shouted, trying to stand only to be forced back down by the oppressive atmosphere, "Ryu! Stop it you big Jerk!".

She pounded on the ground impudently, tears flowing as she screamed at him, trying to make him open his eyes.

"Ryu…", she saw images, all of the moments over the past few months that had become so special to her without her really noticing. Their time at the amusement park, Ryu asking her out on the remains of the castle turret, the moment in the ferris wheel, the way she had felt when she found him in the cave. All of this and more, precious moments that could never be recaptured.

"Stupid jerk", she sniffled, forcing herself to her knees, "You think this is just a decision for you to make? What about us? Do we get a say in this?".

She winced as another cut was opened on his face.

"I know you don't think anyone cares", she placed one unsteady foot in front of another, a brief flicker of red distracting her for a second before it vanished, "That no one could after everything that happened to you…you must have been very lonely…".

She smiled beatifically, stifling her tears, her clenched hands slowly opening at her sides as she approached, staggering as the red string whipped out, cutting her cheek, but striving on undeterred.

"I can imagine what that would be like… things weren't always like this. My family had tough times. I was too young to know why, but my Mother and Father went through a rough patch after I was born. At times it was like they were too wrapped up with each other to notice me", her voice had gotten quieter as she spoke, taking a breath she continued, forcing herself to speak clearly, "If not for Ayu I don't know if I would have had anyone to talk to as a child. I shudder to think how I might have turned out…but you had no one…".

She drew closer still, wincing as she received several new cuts.

"When you came here, I didn't like you very much either…but the other girls came to. Even little Chii found something in you that helped her come out of her shell. You do have people that care about you now Ryu, who don't want to see you go", she felt her tears returning when he didn't respond, "Damn it, don't you get it yet jerk! We all care about you, we all l-…we all love you, I…".

She closed her eyes, clenching her fist at her side, not noticing the thin red string that flashed into existence, linking her and Ryu together via the sword.

"Why do I have to say this? Jerk…I…", Kanna tensed, reaching her breaking point, the moment she would either back down or push on… Bending her legs she hurtled herself with all the strength a budding track star can muster, "I love you!".

Two waves of _Enishi _collided as the string tied to Kanna's finger flared into action, weaving around her in a surreal dance.

As the two forces struck everything else vanished.

* * *

"Kanna…", Kanna sturred, mumbling sleepily to herself as the voice continued to call her name.

"What'a you wan'", she slurred, batting at the source of the noise irritably.

"Kanna, wake up, it's important", the voice insisted urgently, shaking off the last lingering dregs of her grogginess.

She blinked open disorientated brown eyes, slowly focusing on the steely eyes face peering down at her.

"Ryu?", he nodded slowly, coughing and looking away as she sat up and tried to hug him, "What's wrong?".

She blushed a little as she noticed his current state of undress, looking away herself.

Wait, if he was…did that mean…

Kanna yelped as she looked down, instinctively covering herself with her arms, her face ablaze, "Don't look! You hear me pervert, eyes that way!"

"I think there are more important things to worry about than your modesty", he said, his aloof sarcasm surprisingly pleasant to her ears, especially seen as it was heavily coloured by the even sweater tones of embarrassment.

"Like?"

"Like that", he pointed at something and she followed his gaze, barely biting back a scream as a pair of glowing red eyes glared at her from the darkness that defined the area of perfect white in which they both sat.

"Is that…"

"The demon, yes. He calls himself Yazuroph for all it matters…Kanna you shouldn't be here", he said, reminding himself at the last second not to look at her as he spoke.

"Why not?", she demanded, curling her knees up to her chest and turning so that she could address him over her shoulder.

"Because if this is where I think it is, then there is a good chance that when I die, so will you", he mirrored Kanna's posture, not missing how her shoulders hunched as he said that.

"So I was right, you've given up on us", she said in a small voice that cut him worse than _Enishi_ ever could have.

"No, I decided to fight, that's why I'm ending it all now, before anyone else can get involved. It's best for everyone this way", he fell silent when she didn't reply, "…Come on, we need to get you-"

"Coward"

"Excuse me?", he asked.

"What gives you the right to decide something like that for me, for any of us. You're not fighting, it's just another way of giving up", her voice was cutting and he felt himself bristle in response to her tone.

"Do you have a better idea? I'm doing what I must to protect the people I care about, including you…".

"No, no you're not…forget it, go ahead, you probably didn't hear anything I said anyway right", she lowered her head onto her knees, "I should have known".

The silence between them stretched out, somehow seeming worse in the barren white landscape in which she now found herself.

"…I heard", his voice was a whisper but it might as well have been a shout, or perhaps Kanna's ears were just particularly sensitive for some reason. That would certainly explain why she thought she could hear her own heartbeat drumming in her ears.

"…I see", she said, proud that her voice had only sounded a little more subdued than normal, betraying no trace of the nervousness she felt.

How would he answer?

"And?", she prompted, smiling to herself when she saw him shuffle a little where he sat.

"And what?"

"Ryu!".

It was his turn to smirk and she would have hit him had she still not been too embarrassed to move.

"Jerk", she turned away, sticking her nose up in the air.

"I can't give you an answer Kanna", he admitted, "I'm not sure myself".

"Oh…", she felt a little disheartened by this news, but still hopeful of a positive outcome, "Then how do you know you there's nothing you'll regret if you go through with this?"

"I don't…", he wrapped his arms around his knees. It should have been a lot easier than this, there was only one real choice left after all, right?

He stiffened as he felt something press against his back and two slender arms wrap around his shoulders.

"Kanna-"

"Just shut up Ryu, ok, just shut up and listen for once…I meant it, I'm sure I did, and I think I still do…", The red string she hadn't seen before faded into existence, pulsing rapidly in time with her heartbeat, "Come back with me Ryu… I love you".

Ryu reached up slowly, placing his hand on Kanna's arm, marvelling at the smoothness he felt beneath his fingers, the literal softer side to this abrasive woman.

"…Kanna…"

_Enishi_ flared violently, it's twin still locked in Yazuroph's grip echoing its light, resonating the shadows holding it melting and vanishing.

_**No**_

The demon hissed at the twin strings twirled around each other, spinning intricate patterning in the air that left glowing trails in their wake, weaving tighter and more complex patterns as they picked up speed.

Ryu turned where he sat so that he could see Kanna.

"Kanna"

"Ryu", her face coloured but she didn't try to turn away.

_Enishi_ blazed, countless strings stabbing out into the darkness, accompanied by a roar of disbelieving pain.

**_This can't be happening!_**, Yazuroph struggled against his bonds as the red strings bound him in the darkness, searing into his spiritual body agonisingly their glow increasing beyond that which human eyes could have handled.

Haltingly, as if afraid this was all a dream, Kanna drew Ryu into a loose embrace.

_Enishi _flared once more, a blinding light that stripped away the world, all sight, sound and thought in an instant, compacted eternity into seconds and expanded seconds beyond the edges of time as the spiritual equivalent of a supernova scoured the astral plane clean.

Yazuroph experienced the very thing all immortals feared, something that left it unable to even scream as it's very souls was atomised and decimated, scattered across the vast eternity of the spiritual realm…

When _Enishi_ faded from sight all that was left was white.

The demon that had plagued the Sagura family and its descendants, that had brought nothing but pain and misery for centuries to all it encountered, and destroyed one boys life since before he was born… was gone…and so were Kanna and Ryu…

* * *

Kanna wasn't sure how it had happened, but they were no longer in a world of endless white.

She had come back to herself with a start as a loud _clang_ echoed through the empty walls of the storage warehouse she and Ryu had been in before her little trip.

The _Sword of Two Souls_, rocked, its scorched blade hissing and smoking, all traces of mystical aura in the blade gone.

However, none of this held Kanna's attention.

She found herself held in a pair of sturdy arms, against a warm chest that felt strangely comfortable for all the hard muscle beneath the singed shirt worn over it.

She almost squeaked when she heard someone call her name, looking up slowly with wide brown eyes into a pair of smiling sea grey orbs.

"We're…alive", she finished lamely, blushing but unable to look away.

"Yeah…", was Ryu's equally inventive response.

Kanna swallowed when neither of them moved to release the embrace.

"Kanna"

"Yes", she answered a tad to quickly, her cheeks deepening in colour.

"Lets…"

"Yes?", her breathing was coming in shallow gasps.

"…go home".

Kanna almost face faulted.

"What?", her voice was low and dangerous, the look in her eyes equally so.

"Lets go home, there are people waiting for us, and I promised Ayu I'd bring you back…Kanna?", he gasped as her fist connected with his stomach, shortly before the world seemed to tilt as she kicked his feet out from under him.

"Jerk! You are so tragically clueless!", she shouted, crossing her arms and glaring down at him fiercely.

It started low and quiet, but before either of them knew it, Ryu's booming laughter had filled the expansive room with echoing mirth.

"What's so funny?", she asked, stamping her foot angrily when he just laughed louder, "Ryuuya Sagura! You better not be laughing at me!"

Still he continued to laugh, tears running down his face and his gut beginning to ache.

"Fine", she _hrrmph_ed, turning her nose in the air and marching away, "Stay there for all I care, I'm going home. I'll tell all the others you tripped and got crushed under the weight of your own stupidity, jerk!".

Ryu's mirth continued unabated.

It felt strangely good to hear Kanna shouting at him like she would any other boy, so very…normal.

As Ryu marvelled at the blissful silence in his mind, and the absence of the gut churning presence in his soul, Kanna pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. It was the sweetest sound he had ever had.

It looked like everything was going to be alright after all.

While Kanna threatened to leave him for the foxes, Ryu lay back, smiling up at the ceiling.

In his mind he saw Ayu and the others waiting for them.

For the first time in his life, he had people who cared for him, he had friends.

He closed his eyes and took what felt like the first clean breath in a long time, the lopsided smile his Father had been famed for bubbling to the surface.

He may not have done exactly what he set out to do, but he had avenged his Father and destroyed the demon that had cursed his family.

"Hey jerk, you going to stare at the ceiling all day or what?", Kanna demanded testily, giving the impression that had she a tail, it would have been lashing.

"I'm thinking about it", he replied, taking her by surprise with a playful tone.

Gradually, a smile cracked her stern expression and she shook her head, offering her hand to help him up.

"You're even weirder now, you know that?", she asked, smirking at him.

"Perhaps", he shrugged, "Still sure you want me to come back?"

"Can't be helped, you know where I live", she sighed dramatically, her grip on his hand tightening as she helped him to his feet, "Besides, you owe me".

"Owe you?"

"Yup, come on", she tugged him along behind her, ignoring his indignant protests.

Kanna giggled playful as he tried to free his hand, taunting him in a singsong voice while the city slept on around them.

It was time to go home, theor friends were waiting.

* * *

---Author's Notes---

F yeah, last chapter up baby, and it's a whopping 33 pages, hope you enjoyed it.

I'd just like to take the time to thank the fans of the series, I couldn't have pulled this off without you, thanks for all the support/bitching etc, it meant a lot boys and girls.

Sorry about the long update wait, but I've been very busy lately, and lost internet access for a while to boot.

All that's left is a small epilogue then we're all done, so peace out.

See you on the flipside, Betweenheavenandhell

P.S: I'm hosting a small competition incidentally. Send in your Blademasters fics and the very best will be posted amongst the collection of oneshots and drabbles I'll be working on next between chapters of my Burst Angel fic.

Send em in my friends, all see you all later.


	14. Epilogue: Moving On

Epilogue: Moving On

Ryu turned the _Sword of Two Souls_ over in his hands; unable to stop the ironic smirk that took over his features as he thought about the role this blunted and dull blade had played in his life.

The weapon was truly dead now, he, Kyosuke and even Satomi had inspected the sword and found no trace that it was anything but a lump of brittle steel now, and Ryu couldn't have been happier. His obsession was gone, along with the hopes for redemption that had accompanied it, yet he felt a strange sense of inner peace, the likes of which he had never experienced.

It was as if all the bitterness, the loneliness and the grief he had been carrying with him for so long, had been taken away.

Ryu let out a small laugh as he basket in this new found state, marvelling at the clear sound as he rested his weight against the wall of his room in the Hinata Sou, laying the sword across his lap and allowing his eyes to drift closed, a slightly lopsided smile still gracing his face.

"Hey, you in here?", came a voice a split second before he heard the door slide aside, soft footsteps following it as they approached where he sat.

"No", he fired back, but it lacked the fragile sarcasm that many were so used to hearing from him.

Something else to smile about, and speaking of which…

"Very funny jerk, at least you're out of bed at last", the voice sounded close to scolding, but there was an undercurrent there that both the speaker and the listener could hear even if neither felt ready to comment on it, "…Would you open your eyes when I'm talking to you".

"Why? Maybe this is just a dream, so why bother?", he fought to stifle a grin as he heard a hiss of frustration.

"It, is, not, a dream. I'm right here"

"How do I know that, I can't see you", he couldn't stop a smile this time. In his mind's eye he could see his guest grinding her teeth and clenching her fist, and the faint popping of knuckles he heard seemed to confirm this image.

"Ryuuuuu, if you don't look at me I'm going to-", there was a whistling noise as she let out a deep breath, "Fine, jerk".

Deciding he had had enough fun for now, Ryu allowed his eyes to open, his sea grey orbs confirming the image he had seen in his mind.

Kanna stood before him, her arms folded beneath her bust, looking at him with something between a glare and a pout that seemed quite adorable.

They both regarded each other in silence for a moment before Kanna squatted down to his level, resting her hand against his forehead.

"Well, your temperature's ok now, if I didn't know you I'd say you were back to normal", she grinned faintly.

"You're too kind as always", he glanced up at where her hand still lingered, brushing aside some of his raven locks before pulling away, the fingertips brushing his face in the process.

Right now, like this, he was reminded of the issue that had kept he and Kanna's conversations to a minimum for the past few days.

At first, when they had come back, it was simply a matter of being swamped by outside attention in both of their cases.

Ayu had latched onto him with surprising fierceness, managing to beat Satomi to the punch, shocking even herself and leaving her a blushing, stammering wreck for hours afterward, and he had to admit, he had needed a little recovery time as well.

Mizuki had cheer them, Natsuki had come close to tears seeing everyone reunited, Ema had near wilted with relief, Yui had thrown an arm around him like he was an old drinking buddy and Chii had simply tugged on his shirt, content with a reassuring pat on the head from the older man while Chiho yapped happily at his mistress' feet.

It was shortly after all of this Ryu had keeled over, the strain on his body finally catching up now that he no longer had Yazuropth inside him to act as a barrier.

For two days he had been lost in a delirious fever that the girls had feared might kill him.

He had dreamed things, dark things, of times, places and events he had no relation to.

Yazuropth's memories…

He couldn't recall much of what he had dreamed, and what little he could was already fading into obscurity and he would be glad to see it go.

That creature had caused enough suffering without him being forced to recall all of its vile acts.

Ayu and Kanna had nursed him through that period, and during his brief moments of lucidity he had come to learn that having caretakers who were unclear as to whether they were friends or rivals was not conducive to convalescence.

Which brought him back to the issue that still lingering in the household…

"Grey eyes…", Kanna shock her head softly, "You know, you're almost cute like this, but I liked the blond better".

"I do apologise", he answered drolly, "But you'll see a lot more of this… though how I'm going to explain this to all the people who will undoubtedly ask…".

Kanna shrugged, sitting down alongside him.

"I think everyone will be ok with it… it'll give your fan club something to talk about for weeks", she smiled as he grimaced, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"So… is this what we're going to do, dance around things like nothing changed?", she asked, feeling her own smile fade as his did.

"Looks that way…", he said quietly, glancing at her sidelong and trying another smile.

"Jerk", she rested her head against his shoulder, ignoring his squirming until he realised she wasn't going to move, "…I meant what I said…"

"I know…"

"So then why-"

"I still don't have an answer for you Kanna"

"… Is it Ayu-chan?", she asked so quietly he almost couldn't hear her.

"Yes…no…maybe, I don't know Kanna", he sounded angry but with himself rather than her.

"Are you in love with her?"

"If I could answer that we'd all be a lot less confused about things now wouldn't we", he smirked sardonically, half turning his head to rest his chin on to of her hair.

"Moron", he smiled as he felt her fist graze his ribs.

"Yeah…"

Another silence followed.

"So what are you going to do with that?", Kanna asked, pointing down at the sword resting on his lap.

"I'm sending it back to Mother. It's useless to me now, or anyone else for that matter, but it should mean something to her… perhaps it will help her, and the others, forgive me", his fist tightened around the pommel involuntarily.

"Ryu…", Kanna's hand found his, giving it a light squeeze until it relaxed.

"Sempai?", the door slide open, "Are you awake? I brought you some tea…if…".

She had made it most of the way into the room when she had spotted them.

No one moved, no one spoke, no one even seemed to breath.

"Kanna-chan…and sempai?", Kanna moved as she saw the unshed tears building in her friend's eyes.

"Ayu-chan, wait, this isn't- Nothing was going on I swear!", Kanna rushed to reassure her small friend.

"I have to go", as Ayu turned to flee both Kanna and Ryu made to stop her.

The probability of what happened next occurring is quite low, but that is hardly relevant to our story.

As Kanna and Ryu tried to stand simultaneously, there was a tangling of limbs, and with a shriek, the laws of inertia took hold, barrelling down on the unsuspecting blue haired girl who had made the mistake of stopping to see what all the noise was about.

"Hey, what's all the racket about in here?", Yui demanded, coming up short as she tried to enter the room, only to find it blocked by a rather interesting obstacle.

Her hand still clasped around Ayu's skirt, which was now around her ankles, Kanna lay pinned beneath Ryu, her face displaying shades of red not found on earth as was her blue haired friend's as the dazed Ryu looked up at Yui, catching an eyeful of Ayu's panties in the process.

"I'm impressed", Yui complimented him, leaning against the doorframe, "Way to go stud, but you all could have invited me if you were having a party".

"No!", Kanna pushed Ryu off her with such force that he was deposited squarely on his backside nearly a metre away, almost crashing through his table in the process, "You pervert, you planned that, look how you've embarrassed poor Ayu-chan!".

"How the hell could I have planned something like that!", he shouted, raising his voice to match hers while the mortified Ayu hiked her skirt back up and tried to make herself disappear through the cracks in the mats.

"I don't know! I'm not a pervert like you!", she fired back, almost visible sparks being struck between them.

Yui felt a tugging on her skirt, and glanced down to find Chii regarding the whole situation curiously as Ayu tried to get between Kanna and Ryu to calm them down.

She just shrugged when her young cousin looked up at her questioningly and replied to the unvoiced question with a single word.

"Love".

Chii regarded both the shouting and her elder cousin dubiously for a moment before pulling on Yui's hand, guiding her away from the madness.

Taking one last look at the trio as she closed the door, Yui couldn't help but notice the changes in them.

Kanna was being more honest with herself now, Ayu was finally learning that sometimes you had to fight for what you wanted, no matter how hard it was, and was becoming a little more assertive each day, and Ryu…

Even now she could see the faint traces of a smile on his face, a new spark of life clear in his grey eyes where once there had been nothing but ice.

They were all changing, all growing and maturing.

They were all, moving on.

* * *

---Author Notes---

And there it is my friends, the end of Blademasters, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Here are some things to look out for in the future:

Black and Blue: Lovers in Turmoil: Shinobu and Kyoko were happy together, but nothing stays perfect for long, after so long under the ever medalling gaze of the Sagura family, one night would change everything…

Love Hina: All Our Sons: A collection of oneshots dealing with the men of the Blademasters and Love Hina universes

Love Hina: What You Wish For: Kanna had only one demand, surely the big jerk couldn't object to something so simple, but will she get more than she bargained for?

Love Hina: What Dreams May Come: Ryu has been having trouble sleeping of late. Haunted by visions of a beautiful girl he has never met before, he must risk everything, even his budding relationships with Ayu and Kanna, to find her before it's to late…

**Other Projects:**

Burst Angel: Someone to Protect: Hired to investigate a new street drug called Blaze by a mysterious benefactor, Meg will discover more than she ever bargained for. Can she stay alive long enough to keep her promise to Jo and find someone to protect?

Tenchi Muyo: Ryoko's Ladder: The scariest thing about Ryoko Habiki's nightmares, is that she's not dreaming… (set in the Universe continuity, post series)

---------------------

Remember Folks, that competition is still open, send in your fics now.

Till Next Time, Betweenheavenandhell


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